The Sabrimala temple shall close down on Wednesday marking the culmination of the 41-day Mandalam festival. The Lord Ayyappa Shrine at Sabarimala will close at 10 pm on Wednesday after the Mandala puja. The festival had commenced on November 15. On December 30 at 5 pm, the temple will reopen for the Makarvilakku festival, before finally closing on January 20.

The temple town has witnessed a spree of protests by Hindu groups after the September 28 Supreme Court verdict that allowed women of all ages to enter the temple,

Following protest from the believers, ever since the verdict, around three dozen women from the hitherto banned age group, have tried and failed to go up the pathway leading to the temple.

In wake of steep protests mounted by traditional Lord Ayyappa devotees, on Sunday, 11 women devotees from Tamil Nadu were sent back.Trouble broke out early on Monday as well, when police accompanying two women devotees from Kerala clashed with angry pilgrims after they created hurdles for the two women, who are below the age of 50, from offering prayers at the temple.