After 25 days of the Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, the revenue collection at Sabarimala has crossed ₹91 crore on Wednesday.
The devaswom sources told The Hindu that the the revenue collection at Sabarimala as on Wednesday was ₹9,18,33,187.
The Travancore Devaswom Board has received a total of ₹1,29,87,000 towards donation for conducting Annadanam, free feeding of pilgrims, at Sabarimala during the period.
The Mandalapuja at Sabarimala Ayyappa temple will be performed amid the Utchapuja on December 27.
The sanctum sanctorum will be opened at 3 a.m. on December 27 and the Neyyabhishekom will be performed from 3.15 a.m. to 9.30 a.m.. The Mandalapuja will be performed during the auspicious muhurthom between 10 a.m. and 11.40 a.m.
Thanka Anki procession
The procession carrying the Thanka Anki, sacred attire of the presiding deity, to Sabarimala will be set off from Aranmula Parthasarathy temple on December 23 morning.
The procession will reach Pampa on December 26 forenoon and from there, the attire will be taken to Sabarimala in a wooden box. The Ayyappa idol will be adorned with the Thanka Anki prior to the deeparadhana in the afternoon.
Solar eclipse
The temple will remain closed from 7.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. on December 26 in view of the solar eclipse.
According to the temple Tantri (Chief priest), Kandararu Maheswarau Mohanararu, keeping the temple open during the solar eclipse was not appropriate and hence the puja timings at the Ayyappa temple for December 26 too has been revised accordingly.
The sanctum sanctorum will be reopened after the solar eclipse at 11.30 a.m. The Tantri, assisted by the Melsanthi, will perform purification rites and, as it being the custom, the ‘nivedyom’ offering for the presiding deity will be prepared only after the solar eclipse.
The Neyyabhishekom offering will be resumed for some more time, after 11.30 a.m., if needed, according to devaswom sources.
The temple will be closed for two days, after the Athazhapuja on December 27 evening, marking the culmination of the 41-day Mandalam festival.
Makaravilakku
The Ayyappa temple will be reopened at 5 p.m. on December 30 for the Makaravilaku festival. Makaravilakku day falls on January 15. The Makaravilakku deeparadhana atop the holy Ponambalamedu hillock will be performed immediately after the deeparadhana on January 15 evening.
The temple will be closed on January 21, marking the culmination of the Makarvilakku festival.
Heavy rush continues
Sabarimala continued to witness heavy rush on Friday too as hundreds of pilgrims from different parts of south India utilised the weekend for undertaking their annual pilgrimage to the forest shrine.
M. Manoj, the Special Commissioner appointed by High Court, is camping at Sabarimala.
