The Hindu : Kerala News : Tens of thousands of pilgrims witness Makarajyoti at Sabarimala

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Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008
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Tens of thousands of pilgrims witness Makarajyoti at Sabarimala

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor

SABARIMALA: Tens of thousands of pilgrims thronged the holy hillock of Sabarimala and the Sannidhanam on Monday to witness the Makarajyoti, a bright flame that appears on a remote hillside facing the Lord Ayyappa Temple, and the celestial star, Makara, on the eastern horizon.

The Sabarimala hill and the surrounding forest areas turned into a sea of humanity as Ayyappa devotees from different parts of the country and abroad turned up to witness the auspicious event on Makara-sankranthi day.

Rooftops of all buildings, the hillside and the grasslands in the forests were occupied by the devotees. Many took perch on trees to witness the Makarajyoti.

The entire Sannidhanam resounded with chants of ‘Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa.’

The Thiruvabharanam (sacred jewellery) was brought from the Pandalam Palace, which is believed to be the ancestral home of Ayyappa alias Manikanta, to the Sannidhanam in a ceremonial procession at 6 p.m. The Thiruvabharanam was received by Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president C.K. Guptan and members P. Narayanan and P.K. Sumathykutty Amma, accompanied by Special Officer K. Jayakumar and Special Commissioner, M. Rajendran Nair, in the presence of Devaswom Minister G. Sudhakaran, at 6.20 p.m. Tantri Kandararu Maheswararu and Melsanthi T.K. Krishnan Namboodiri took the Thiruvabharanam to the sanctum sanctorum to adorn the Ayyappa idol prior to the ‘Deeparadhana.’ The ‘Deeparadhana’ was performed at 6.32 pm.

The bright star, ‘Makara’, shone on the eastern horizon much before the Deeparadhana. The ‘Makarajyoti’ flickered thrice on the distant hillside between 6.36 p.m. and 6.38 p.m., sending the multitude of pilgrims into a frenzy.

Supreme Court judge Arijit Pasayath; K.S. Radhakrishnan, Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir; and Biswanath Mahopatra of the Orissa High Court; O. Panneerselvam, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister; V.R. Rajeevan, Additional Director General of Police; Arunkumar Sinha, Inspector General of Police; C.G. Satchidanandan, Devaswom Commissioner; Jayaram and Vivek Oberoi, cine actors; were among those who were present on the temple precincts to witness the Makarajyoti.

There was a heavy rush of devotees to climb the holy 18 steps soon after the deeparadhana, as the assembled crowd at the Sannidhanam dispersed.

A large posse of police was deployed at the Sannidhanam for crowd control. The ADGP and IG were engaged in crowde control at the Lower Thirumuttom.

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