The sacred grove (Poonkavanam) of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala is all set for the Makaravilakku festival on Wednesday.
Tantri Kandararu Rajeevararu, assisted by Melsanthi E.N. Krishnadas Namboodiri, performed the Bimbasudhikriya ritual on Tuesday as a prelude to the Makarasankramapuja.
The procession carrying the sacred jewellery of the presiding deity, Thiruvabharanam, will reach the Sannidhanam by 6.20 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Ayyappa idol will be adorned with the Thiruvabharanam prior to the deeparadhana to be performed between 6.30 p.m. and 6.40 p.m.
Deeparadhana
The auspicious Makaravilakku deeparadhana at Ponnambalamedu, a remote hill facing the Ayyappa temple, will be performed in the next few minutes.
'The celestial star, Makarajyoti, will appear in the eastern horizon of the Sannidhanam by this time.
The auspicious Makarasankramapuja will be performed at the Sannidhanam later, at 7.28 p.m.
The Tantri, assisted by the Melsanthi, will perform the puja.
The Kowdiar Palace and the Pattom Palace in Thiruvananthapuram have already sent the ghee-filled coconuts by two pilgrims who were undertaking their maiden pilgrimage (Kanni Ayyappan) to Sabarimala for performing the Sankrama Abhishekom with the ghee to the presiding deity during the Makarasankramapuja.
Following the tradition, Ayyappa devotees held the customary Pampa Sadya (feast) and Pampa Vilakku at Pampa on Tuesday.
The Ambalappuzha and Alangad teams that led the ritualistic Petta Thullal at Erumely on Sunday were among those who partook of the feast.
They conducted the Pampa Vilakku by floating small pyramid-like lamps made of twigs on the Pampa river.
M.P. Govindan Nair, Travancore Devaswom Board president; Subhash Vasu, P.K. Kumaran, board members; K. Babu, Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court, and P. Venugopal, Devaswom Commissioner, are camping at the Sannidhanam.
