Hundreds of devotees thronged the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala to worship the deity on the first day of the Malayalam month of Karkidakam on Wednesday. There was heavy rain in the forests throughout the day. Pilgrims, carrying the sacred bundle Irumudikkettu, wrapped in plastic on their head, as protection from rain, trekked Neelimala and Appachimedu.
Devotees had to wait in long queues for the darshan in the morning and forenoon. The temple was opened at 5 a.m. The rituals began with Tantri Kandararu Rajeevararu performing the Ashtadravya Maha Ganapathi homom in the morning followed by Ashtabhishekom and Neyyabhishekom.
Tantri, assisted by Melsanthi V.N. Vasudevan Namboodiri, performed the Kalabhapuja at the Namaskara Mandapam. The Kalabhabhishekom was performed prior to the Utchapuja and the Kalabhom (sandal paste) offered to the deity was distributed as prasadom.
Udayasthamanapuja, Padipooja, and Pushpabhishekom held at the Ayyappa temple on Wednesday. According to the Tantri, a Sahasrakalasabhishekom will be performed on all days from Thursday to Sunday.
Travancore Devaswom Board president A. Padmakumar handed over the board’s treatment aid worth ₹50,000 to a cancer patient, Madhavan, a headload worker, at a function. The financial relief was as part of the TDB’s Saranalayam project.
The temple will be closed after the Athazhapuja on Sunday evening.
