Thiruvonam was celebrated with religious fervour at Sabarimala on Friday.
The temple chief priest (tantri), Kandararu Maheswararu, performed the Ashtadravya Ganapati homom followed by Ashtabhishekom at the Lord Ayyappa Temple in the morning.
An auspicious Sahasrakalasabhishekom was performed at the Ayyappa shrine prior to the Utchapuja.
Onasadya
The Onasadya (feast) at the Sannidhanam was offered by Dr. Manikantadas, an Ayyappa devotee from Chittar near Seethathode. “I’m blessed to serve Onasadya to devotees at Sabarimala for the past six decades,’’ he said.
The tantri inaugurated the feast by lighting a ceremonial lamp immediately after the Uchapuja. Hundreds of devotees as well as staff on duty at the Sannidhanam partook off the Onam feast.
K. Cicily, K.V. Padmanabhan, both members of Travancore Devaswom Board and N. Vasu, devaswom commissioner, were among those who took part in the Onam feast at Sabarimala. Padipuja, Udayasthamanapuja and Pushpabhishekom were the other important rituals performed at the sannidhanam on Friday.
The Ayyappa shrine will be closed after the four-day Onam festival puja on Sunday evening. The feast on the Chathayam day will be served by the devaswom employees on Sunday. The temple will be closed after the Athazhapuja on Sunday evening, marking the culmination of the Onam festival puja.
Monthly rituals
The Ayyappa shrine will be reopened on September 16 afternoon for the five-day monthly rituals in the Malayalam month of Kanni that begins the next day. The temple will be closed after the five-day rituals on September 21 evening.
