Sabarimala

The annual mandala pooja at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala will be conducted on December 27 between 10.10 am and 11.30 am, the temple’s chief priest Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru announced on Sunday.

He said the deeparadhana associated with the ritual will conclude at 11.30 am. As part of the ceremonies, the sacred golden anki (golden attire) of Lord Ayyappa will be brought to the hill shrine in a traditional procession.

The ceremonial journey of the golden anki will commence from the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple at 7 am on December 23. It is expected to reach the Sabarimala Sannidhanam before the deeparadhana on the evening of December 26.

Once the anki is adorned on the idol, deeparadhana will be performed at 6.30 pm on December 26. On the following day, December 27, the mandala pooja will take place after the deity is decorated with the golden attire at noon. The temple will close for the day at 11 pm after the traditional chanting of Harivarasanam, the lullaby dedicated to Lord Ayyappa.

The shrine will reopen at 5 pm on December 30 for the commencement of the makara vilakku festival, the chief priest added.

The golden anki was originally presented by the Travancore Maharaja specifically for the mandala pooja. Devotees will be permitted to have darshan of the sacred attire at the courtyard of the Aranmula temple between 5 am and 7 am on December 23.

Meanwhile, officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board said that free annadanam in the form of a traditional Kerala sadya for pilgrims began at Sabarimala on Sunday.

The meal includes items such as parippu, sambar, rasam, avial, thoran, pickle, pappadam and payasam. While some dishes will vary daily, a different variety of payasam will be served each day. The board has planned to serve Kerala sadya on alternate days during the season.

At noon, Devaswom Executive Officer O G Biju lit the ceremonial lamp and offered the meal to Lord Ayyappa before distribution to devotees. The food is served on steel plates and glasses.

Officials said the commencement of the sadya was slightly delayed due to technical preparations but expressed confidence that the service would proceed smoothly in the coming days with divine blessings.

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Around 5,000 pilgrims partake in the annadanam daily, though food is prepared for a larger number. On alternate days, devotees will be served either sadya or pulao. Sannidhanam Special Officer P Balakrishnan Nair also inspected the annadanam facilities.