Annual temple festival at Sabarimala begins today

The five-day monthly rituals at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in the Malayalam month of ‘Meenom' concluded with the Athazhapuja on Friday.

The temple is all set for the kodiyettu ceremony marking the beginning of the 10-day annual temple festival that begins on Saturday.

Sabarimala devaswom executive officer V.S. Jayakumar told

The Hindu that the ceremony would be held between 10.30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Tantri Kandararu Maheswararu performed the ‘bimbasudhikriya' and other rituals preparatory to the annual festival on Friday.

The tantri will hoist the ceremonial flag after the customary ‘kodimarapuja'. The ‘utsavabali' ritual will be held between 12.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. from March 21 to 28.

‘Arat'

The ‘pallivetta' will be held at Saramkuthi on the trekking path on March 28 evening. The ‘arat' will be held at Pampa on March 29.

The tantri, assisted by Melsanthi G.Vishnu Namboodiri, will lead the arat puja at a specially prepared arat ‘kadavu' in the Pampa.

The arat procession will reach the Sannidhanam from Pampa and the tantri will bring down the ceremonial flag on the temple mast marking the culmination of this year's annual festival. The temple will be closed after the Athazhapuja, later.

Mr. Jayakumar said a Srimad Bhagavatha Saptaha Yajnom would be held at the temple from March 20 to 27.