Sabarimala Ayyappa temple opens for 2-month long pilgrimage amid security

The gates of the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala opened at 5 pm on November 16 for the two-month-long Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.

Devotees from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and other neighbouring states performed rituals in the sanctum sanctorum amid tight security. Furthermore, elaborate arrangements are made for the devotees.

The CPI(M)-led LDF government had made preparations for a hassle-free pilgrimage.

The gates were thrown open by Kandararu Mahesh Mohanararu. The priest first performed the "padi pooja", following which the devotees climbed the sacred 18 steps to the temple.

The shrine is located in a reserve forest of the Pathanamthitta district of the Western Ghats. The devotees started to trek towards the hill from 2 pm on November 16. They were carrying the "irumudikettu" or sacred offerings.

A K Sudheer Namboodiri (Sabarimala) and M S Prameshwaran Namboodiri (Malikapuram) were the new priests who later took charge.

Traditionally, girls and women in the menstruating age group of 10-50 years were barred from offering prayers at the shrine.

It had witnessed massive protests by devotees and right-wing outfits against the state government's decision to implement the Supreme Court's order in September 2018, allowing women of all ages to enter the temple.

SC was delivering its verdict on November 14 on a batch of petitions seeking re-examination of its earlier decision.

However, the apex court referred the Sabarimala case to a larger seven-judge bench while it had not stayed its verdict.

Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran had said that Sabarimala was not a place for activists to display their activism. He also added that the government would not encourage the entry of women who visit for publicity.

He had asked for a court order to allow entry of women devotees who wish to visit the shrine.

(With inputs from PTI)