November 16, 2022 08:23 pm | Updated November 17, 2022 08:58 am IST – PATHANAMTHITTA
The installation ceremony of new Melsanthi K. Jayaraman Namboothiri at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple sopanam on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: Leju Kamal
Marking the beginning of a two-month-long annual pilgrimage season, the doors of the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala opened for the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku festivals on Wednesday.
Outgoing head priest N. Parameswaran Namboothiri opened the sanctum sanctorum in the presence of chief priest (Tantri) Kandararu Rajeevaru at 5 p.m. This was followed by the opening of the upadevata temples and transferring of the scared fire to the aazhi.
Travancore Devaswom Board president K. Ananthagopan, Additional Director General of Police M.R. Ajith Kumar, District Police Chief Swapnil Madhukar Mahajan, etc. were present on the occasion.
Later in the day, the installation of newly selected melsanthis for the Ayyappa temple and the Malikappuram Devi temple—Jayaraman Namboothiri and Hariharan Namboothiri—was performed. The new melsanthis will hold charge of their respective temples for the next one year.
Meanwhile, the opening day of the season began on a positive note with the hill shrine witnessing a heavy rush of devotees. The pilgrims, who were camping at Pampa from Tuesday evening, were allowed to the hill top from Wednesday afternoon onwards.
The two-month-long season, which used to attract millions of devotees every year till 2019-20, had to be scaled back during the previous couple of years to ensure compliance to the pandemic protocols. With no restrictions in place now, authorities expect at least 40 lakh devotees to visit the hill shrine this year.
As many as 1,250 police officers led by Special Officer B. Krishna Kumar have been deployed across the pilgrimage zone. Officials said the police deployment saw a rise in line with the increasing pilgrim footfalls.
Besides the police, 76 CCTV cameras too had been installed across the region.
Police personnel to be deployed as part of security arrangements assemble during a meeting on the preparations of Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage, at Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district, Wednesday.
Devaswom Minister K. Radhakrishnan is on Thursday slated to release ‘Sannidhanam’ , an e-bulletin prepared by the TDB for the pilgrims visiting Sabarimala.
