Sabarimala temple opens for Makaravilakku

The Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala opened on Tuesday evening for the Makaravilakku festival season.

Melsanti E.D. Prasad reopened the sanctum sanctorum at 5 p.m., accompanied by Tantri Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru. This was followed by the opening of the Malikappuram Devi temple. Even before the ceremonial opening, a steady stream of pilgrims, especially from neighbouring States, began their ascent to the temple via Pampa and Pullumedu .’

The temple, which closed after the Mandalam pilgrimage season on December 27, will remain open until January 19. The Makaravilakku festival is scheduled for January 14 and the temple will close for the season on the morning of January 20.

Ahead of the opening, the Fire and Rescue Services carried out a final round of cleaning at the Sannidhanam, Pathinettam Padi, Malikappuram, and the Aravana counters. This followed a large-scale cleanup drive from the Sannidhanam to Appachimedu undertaken earlier by multiple departments.

Security arrangements have been significantly stepped up, with a 1,593 member police force deployed under the leadership of Crime Branch Superintendent of Police M. Krishnan. Key duty points include the sanctum sanctorum, Pathinettam Padi, Valiya Nadapanthal U-turn, Sharamkuthi, Marakoottam, Malikappuram and Pandithavalam.

The Travancore Devaswom Board has also put in place extensive arrangements to manage the expected surge in pilgrim inflow during the festival period.

Meanwhile, tension flared along the traditional forest route from Erumely on Monday evening after devotees were prevented from entering the forest, with officials stating that the path would open only at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. After being kept under restrictions for several hours, pilgrims eventually crossed over, ignoring official instructions.

At Koikkakkavu and Azhuthakkadavu, devotees, frustrated by prolonged waiting, broke through restrictions and continued their journey. Similar scenes unfolded at Perurthodu, another stretch of the traditional route, where protests erupted following disruption to the pilgrimage.

Devotees had earlier blocked the the Perurthodu-Irumbunnikkara road and staged a road blockade, sitting on the road and chanting bhajans. A heated exchange broke out with the police before the situation was brought under control.