Kerala   

Sabarimala temple closed after customary darshan

PATHANAMTHITTA: The Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala was closed after the customary darshan and offering of prayers by the representative of the Pandalam Palace on Sunday morning.

Melsanthi T.K. Krishnan Namboodiri opened the sanctum sanctorum to facilitate darshan of the presiding deity exclusively to the royal-designate Raghava Varma Raja at 6.50 a.m.

The royal designate offered prayers for about 10 minutes. As per custom, no one other than the royal representative is permitted to enter the temple ‘sopanam’ to offer prayers.

Later, he descended the gold-plated holy 18 steps and accompanied the procession carrying the golden attire of Lord Ayyappa, packed in three wooden boxes, to Pandalam.

The entourage was given a feast by a group of devotees from Kozhencherry at Nilackal on Sunday noon. The procession reached Laha in the afternoon.

It will reach the Sastha Temple at Perinad on Monday.

The presiding deity at the Perinad temple will be adorned with the jewellery prior to the Utchapuja at 11.30 a.m.

The sanctum sanctorum will be kept open till 11.30 p.m. for the devotees to have darshan of the golden attire.

The procession will reach Aranmula on Tuesday afternoon.

It will be brought to Pandalam on Wednesday morning.

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