Thousands of devotees on Sunday offered worship at the famed Lord Ayyappa temple on the auspicious occasion of 'makaravilakku', marking the culmination of the over two-month-long pilgrimage.
The pilgrims from Kerala and outside the state waited for hours to have a glimpse of Lord Ayyappa, the presiding deity, carrying the 'irumudi kettu' (the traditional bundle a devotee brings to the shrine) over their heads. Throughout the time, the 'sannidhanam' (temple complex) atop the hillock and base camp on the banks of river Pampa reverberated with chants of "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa".
The portals of the shrine was thrown open after the 'deeparadhana' (arti) in the evening, which was performed to the idol of Lord Ayyappa was donned with holy jewels 'Thiruvabharanam'.
Published 14 January 2018, 17:54 IST