Sabarimala (Kerala), Jan 14 (PTI) Thousands of devotees thronged the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa here on Wednesday to witness the ‘Makaravilakku’, marking the climax of the annual two-month-long pilgrimage season, amid heavy rush.
Clad in black attire and carrying the traditional ‘irumudi kettu’ on their heads, pilgrims waited for hours along the forest pathways and temple precincts to have darshan of the deity on the auspicious day.
Undeterred by the crowd, devotees continuously chanted the ‘Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa’ mantras as they moved slowly towards the sanctum sanctorum.
In the evening, the sacred ornaments known as ‘thiruvabharanam’ were brought to the hill temple from the Pandalam palace, around 85 km away, in a ceremonial procession that began two days earlier.
State Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president K Jayakumar and other officials concerned received the procession bringing the sacred jewels.
The jewels were later received by the temple tantri (chief priest) and 'melsanthi' (head priest) at the 'Sannidhanam' (temple complex).
After the holy jewels reached the shrine, the idol of Lord Ayyappa was adorned with the ornaments, following which ‘deeparadhana’ (aarati) was performed and the temple doors were opened for devotees to have darshan.
Chants and hymns reverberated across the temple complex as pilgrims struggled hard to catch a glimpse of the deity decorated with the sacred jewels.
Some minutes after the aarati, the ‘makara jyothi’, regarded by devotees as a divine light, appeared on the eastern horizon above Ponnambalamedu, a hillock located about eight km from the shrine, triggering loud chants of devotion.
Thousands of pilgrims gathered at various viewpoints in and around Sabarimala to witness the celestial event.
The lighting of the flame at Ponnambalamedu is carried out by the Kerala government with the assistance of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and forest officials, continuing a long-standing ritual previously observed by tribal families residing near the hilltop.
The state government and the TDB, which manages the shrine, had made extensive arrangements for crowd control and the safety of devotees across the temple complex and surrounding areas.
Earlier in the day, TDB President K Jayakumar said the two-month-long Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season was hassle-free, and it was expected to be concluded in the same manner.
"All necessary measures have been taken to ensure them a peaceful and happy darshan of Lord Ayyappa and Makara Jyothi," he told the media in the morning.
A coordinated effort of various government departments, especially police, has helped the Board ensure a smooth pilgrimage season, he added.
"Mandalam" refers to a 41- or 48-day period of austerity and religious observance undertaken by devotees as part of the spiritual discipline.
It is followed by the 'makaravilakku' festival, which marks the conclusion of the pilgrimage season.