Thousands witness Sabarimala Makaravilakku

Thousands of devotees from various states witnessed the Makaravilakku (holy lamp) and Makarajyothi (star) at Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala on Wednesday evening.

The Makarajyothi lamp appeared on the forest of Ponnambalamedu hills by around 6.50 p.m. soon after the 'Thiruvabharanam' (scared ornaments) procession reached the temple. The deity of Lord Ayyappa was adorned using with the sacred ornaments brought from Pandalam palace, believed to be the earlier home of the Ayyappa.

Pilgrims took positions at various vantage spots right from Tuesday to witness the Makaravilakku. The temple premises was also jam-packed with pilgrims. The police made elaborate crowd control measures, especially to avoid any stampede during the return of pilgrims in large numbers after the Makaravilakku.

The about two-month-long pilgrimage season in Sabarimala temple will end on January 20.

While the last Sabarimala pilgrimage season was marked with tension over the women entry issue, this time the left-front government has decided not to allow women in 10-50 age group as the SC referred the women entry issue to a larger bench.