Devotees Throng Sabarimala Temple On First Morning Of New Year

A huge turnout of pilgrims was noticed at Lord Ayyappa temple in Kerala's Sabarimala on the first day of New Year.

Devotees of Lord Ayyappa wait to offer prayers at Sabarimala temple, in Pathanamthitta ( Image Source :PTI )

Devotees thronged Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala on the first morning of the year 2024. The holy shrine opened at 3 am on Monday with the idol of Lord Ayyappa receiving an anointment of ghee from 18,018 coconuts after the 'Nirmalyam' and 'Abhishekam' rituals, as reported by news agency PTI. Led by chief priest PN Mahesh Namboothiri, the ghee anointing (Neyyabhishekam) was performed under the supervision of the tantri (head priest) Kandararu Mahesh Mohanararu.

The ghee anointing (Neyyabhishekam) was a contribution from four devotees, namely - Vishnusaran Bhat, Unnikrishnan Potti, Ramesh Rao, and Dorai. All of them were from Bengaluru. 

As per an official release, around 20,000 coconuts filled with ghee at the Pamba Ganapati temple were prepared for the Neyyabhishekam and were then transported to the hill shrine on a tractor, PTI reported. 

In view of the large number of devotees coming to the temple to offer prayers, elaborate security arrangements were made, led by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Thomson Jose and Sannidhanam Police special officer R Anand. The temple was opened for the annual festival Makaravilakku pilgrimage season on Saturday evening.

The apex temple body managing the hill shrine, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), said that several rituals such as 'prasada shudha kriya' and 'bimba shudha kriya', will be held on January 13 and 14 ahead of the Makaravilakku festival which will be celebrated on January 15, as per PTI.

The devotees will be witnessing the reception of the 'thiruvabharanam' (the sacred ornaments) at the Sannidhanam (temple complex), and the 'deeparadhana', adorning Lord Ayyappa idol with jewels, on January 15 i.e., Makaravilakku.

After the Makaravilakku darshan, Lord Ayyappa's temple will remain open till January 20 for pilgrims to visit and to offer prayers.