The Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala will be opened on Thursday afternoon for the five-day monthly rituals in the Malayalam month of Midhunom that begins on Friday.
The head priest (Melsanthi), A.V. Unnikrishnan Namboodiri, will open the sanctum sanctorum in the presence of the chief priest (Tantri), Kandararu Maheswararu Mohanararu, at 5 p.m.
The temple rituals will begin with the Tantri performing the Ashtadravya Ganapati homom on Friday morning followed by the auspicious Ashtabhishekom.
Kalabhabhishekom will be performed to the deity prior to the Utchapuja. Sahasrakalasabhishekom will be performed at the Ayyappa temple prior to the Utchapuja from June 16 to 19.
Devaprasnom
Padipooja, Udayasthamanapooja, and Pushpabhishekom will be the other important rituals to be performed at the Ayyappa temple on all the five days.
The Ashtamangala Devaprasnom, an astrological consultation seeking the divine will, will be held at the Ayyappa temple from June 15 to 17.
The Travancore Devaswom Board has decided to conduct the Ashtamangala Devaprasnom in the backdrop of the untoward incidents occurred during the Aratt procession at Sabarimala on March 30.
Renowned astrologer, Padmanabha Sharma, will lead the Devaprasnom. Puthumana Haridasan Namboodiri, Thirusseri Jayaraja Panicker, Vadakara Sreenatha Panicker, Thalakkulathoor Pookkattu Soma Panicker, Aranmula Harikrishna Sharma, Madavoorpara V. Sivakumar, and Eruva V.C. Sreenivasan Pillai, are the astrologers taking part in the Ashtamangala Devaprasnom.
A representative each from the Thazhamon Tantri family and the Pandalam Palace will also be attending the Devaprasnom.
The Ayyappa temple will be closed after the Athazhapooja on June 19 evening, marking the culmination of the five-day monthly rituals.