Commencing the two-month-long annual pilgrimage season, the doors of Sabarimala's Ayyappa temple swung open on Thursday for the Mandalam-Makaravilakku festival. The 41-day pilgrimage season begins on Friday which is the first day of the auspicious Malayalam month of Vrichikam. On Thursday, in the absence of outgoing head priest K. Jayaraman Namboothiri, the sanctum sanctorum was opened by temple chief priest Kandararu Mahesh Mohanararu. 


The event included the opening of the Upadevata temples and the transfer of the sacred fire to the Aazhi. Key dignitaries including Travancore Devaswom Board President P.S. Prasanth, Sabarimala Special Commissioner M. Manoj, and Pathanamthitta District Collector A. Shibu were present during the occasion.


While the rituals were performed, the chants 'swamiye saranam Ayyappa' reverberated throughout the temple complex. 


Temple sources said that even before the opening of the temple shrine in the wee hours of Friday heavy rush of devotees was witnessed for the beginning of the Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage.














Following the event, the TDB president affirmed that all preparations have been finalized at 'sannidhanam' and Pampa to welcome devotees ahead of the pilgrimage season. He assured that essential amenities and infrastructure facilities have been put in place to facilitate a seamless darshan experience.














To regulate the crowd at 'sannidhanam' this season, a proactive queue-control system has been implemented, and informational video walls will be installed at Nilakkal, Pampa, and the temple complex to update devotees on the crowd status, as stated by the TDB president.


Furthermore, he emphasized that emergency health centers have been established at 15 locations along the route from Pampa to 'sannidhanam'.


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Sabarimala Sree Ayyappan Temple is a Hindu temple in Kerala dedicated to the worship of the deity Ayyappan.


The temple is encircled by 18 hills in Periyar Tiger Reserve. It is one of the world's busiest annual pilgrimage locations, with an estimated 10 to 15 million devotees attending each year.