The 63-day annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season at Sabarimala came to a close with the ‘guruti’ rites performed at Malikappuram on Monday evening.
There was no let-up in the flow of pilgrims to the hillock even on the last day. Vilakkinezhunnellippu, the five-day customary ceremonial procession from the Malikappuram Devi temple to the Lower Tirumuttom of the Ayyappa temple in the last lap of the Makaravilakku festival, came to a close on Sunday evening.
Tantri (chief priest) Kandararu Maheswararu Mohanararu, assisted by Melsanthi (head priest) A.K. Sudheer Namboodiri, performed Padipuja at the holy 18 steps after the Pushpabhishekom ritual in the evening. Ashtabhishekom and Udayasthamanapuja were performed at the Ayyappa temple on Monday.
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The Ayyappa temple was closed after Athazhapuja. The Melsanthi closed the sanctum sanctorum singing the sacred lullaby
The customary ‘guruti’ rites to propitiate the cohorts (Bhoothagana) of the presiding deity was performed at Malikappuram. Male members of the Kunnackattu Kurup family in Ranni performed the ‘guruti’ in the presence of a huge throng of devotees.