Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala will be opened on Wednesday afternoon for the five-day monthly rituals in the Malayalam month of Kanni that begins on Thursday.
Melsanthi N. Vishnu Namboodiri will open the sanctum sanctorum at 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday. The rituals will begin with Tantri Kandararu Maheswararu performing Ganapati homam on Thursday morning.
Ashtabhishekam, Padipuja, Udayasthamanapuja and Pushpabhishekam will be held on all the five days.
The Tantri said Sahasrakalasabhishekam and Kalabhabhishekam will also be performed at the Ayyappa temple as part of the monthly rituals. The temple will be closed after the Athazhapuja on September 21evening, marking the culmination of the five-day monthly rituals.