Sabarimala temple opens

The Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala was on Sunday opened ahead of the formal start of the annual 41-day “mandalam” pilgrimage season on Monday. Pilgrims from across the country started arriving at the base camp of the hill shrine on Saturday.

E N Krishnadas Namboothiri was installed as the new melsanthi (head priest) at the “sannidhanam” while S Kesavan Namboothiri took over as melsanthi at the Malikappuram temple. On the morning of Monday – the first day of the Malayalam month of “Vrishchikam” – the new head priest will commence temple rituals to mark the beginning of the pilgrimage season. The “mandalam” season will culminate on December 27 before the temple reopens for the “makaravilakku” season on December 30.

Senior police officials reviewed security arrangements at the hill shrine in Pathanamthitta district that hosts around four million pilgrims during the pilgrimage season. Roads leading to the shrine passing Elavunkal, Chalakkayam, Pampa, Neelimala, Swami Ayyappan Road, Paandithaavalam, Uppupara, Pullumedu, Kozhikkaanam and Sathram have been declared special security zones from November 15 to January 19, 2015.