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41-day Mandalam festival concludes at Sabarimala

SABARIMALA: The 41-day annual Mandalam festival at the Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala came to a close with the Mandalapuja on Thursday.

Hundreds of devotees attended the auspicious Mandalapuja performed to the presiding deity at the Ayyappa temple.

Tantri Kandararu Maheswararu, assisted by Melsanthi T.K. Krishnan Namboodiri, performed the Brahamakalasapuja and Kalabhapuja at the Eastern Mandapam at 11.30 a.m. The Brahmakalasom and the Kalabhom (sandal paste) were taken out in a ceremonial procession, to the accompaniments of the sacred Marappani and other temple orchestra, to the sanctum sanctorum prior to the Utchapuja. The pouring of sandal paste over the Ayyappa idol was held later, marking the culmination of the ritualistic Neyyabhishekom during the 41-day Mandalam season. The Mandalapuja, marking the culmination of the Mandalam festival, was performed in the auspicious ‘muhurthom’ between 12.29 p.m. and 12.40 p.m., immediately after the Kalasabhishekom.

The Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court, M. Rajendran Nair, Arunkumar Sinha, Inspector General of Police; S. Sreejith, Police Special Officer; P.K. Sumathykutty Amma, Travancore Devaswom Board member; C.G. Satchidanandan, Devaswom Commissioner, and B. Unnikrishnan, Sabarimala Executive Officer, were among those who attended the ceremony. The sanctum sanctorum was closed with the divine lullaby, Harivarasanam, after the Athazhapuja later in the evening, marking the culmination of the Mandalam festival.

The Ayyappa Temple will reopen for the Makaravilakku festival on December 30 afternoon and the rituals will begin with the auspicious Ganapati homam on December 31 morning. The Makaravilakku day falls on January 14. The bright celestial star, Makarajyoti, will be sighted on the eastern horizon of the Ayyappa Sannidhanam, along with a flickering flame on a distant hillside facing the Ayyappa temple, immediately after the deeparadhana at 6.30 p.m.

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