Thousands of devotees on Monday evening witnessed the Makara Jyothi — a celestial light on the eastern horizon — marking the finale of the pilgrimage season of the hill shrine of Sabarimala, which witnessed a record turnout of 3.25 crore pilgrims this season.

The chant of Swaamiye...Saranam...Ayyappa rent the air as the holy light flickered across the skies above the Ponnambalamedu after the evening pooja was performed in the shrine with the Lord's idol adorned with glittering ‘Holy Jewels.’ Hours before, the Sannidhanam around the temple had turned into a virtual sea of humanity with the devout from different parts of the country converging in thousands for the auspicious occasion. Thousands of others had darshan of the Jyothi on the banks of the river Pampa, from where the uphill trek was halted this morning to avoid overcrowding. Moments before the Deeparadhana , three wooden caskets containing the holy jewels were brought to the shrine in a procession, which set off from the Panthalam Palace.