The portals of the Lord Ayappa temple at Sabrimala in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district opened on Wednesday for devotees for the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku festivals, marking the beginning of the two-month long annual pilgrimage season. The Chief priest opened the sanctum sanctorum of the temple priest in the presence of the thantri of the temple, and lit the lamp at the hill shrine on Thursday.
The 41-day Mandala season begins today with the start of the month of Vrishchikam of Malayalam calendar and will end on 27 December. Live booking facilities have been set up for the devotees, who could not book their darshan slots. K. Jayaraman Namboothiri took charge as Sabarimala’s chief priest, and Hariharan Namboothiri took over charge as chief priest of the Malikappuram temple.
