With hardly 26 hours for the Makavailakku festival, the Sabarimala Sannidhanam is overflowing with Ayyappa devotees from different parts of the country.
Scores of pilgrims are camping in the forests for the past two days to worship the Makarajyoti, a celestial star that appears on the eastern horizon of the Sannidhanam coinciding with the Deeparadhana at the temple, and the Makaravilakku, another Deeparadhana performed atop the Ponnambalamedu facing the Ayyappa temple, on Wednesday evening.
Many devotees were seen perched on trees and rooftops, though there are restrictions, from where they could worship the Makaravilakku. Pilgrims in large numbers were camping in makeshift shelters on hillsides in the surrounding forests to worship the Makarajyoti.
The devotees conducted the Pampa Vilakku by floating small pyramid-like lamps made of twigs on the Pampa river.
