Chennai

SABARIMALA: Chanting “swamiye saranam” Ayyappa devotees thronged the hill-top temple and waited patiently to witness the special poojas and rituals including “kalabha abhishekam” and “kalasa abhishekam”. The ‘mandala pooja’ was held under the aegis of the head priest Kandaru Mahesh Mohanararu and Melshanti (Chief Priest) A Sudheer Namboothiri as pilgrims chanted hymns of the Lord in unison.

The idol of the Lord Ayyappa was adorned with ‘thanka angi,” the sacred golden attire, which was brought here on Thursday evening in a ceremonial procession from the Sree Parthasarthy temple at Aranmula.

Last year, the shrine had witnessed frenzied protests by devotees over the entry of young women after the LDF government decided to implement the September 28 verdict of the Supreme Court allowing women of all age groups to offer prayers.

Mandala pooja marks the conclusion of the initial phase of the two-month-long annual pilgrim season, which began on November 15 and the temple would re-open on December 30 for the ‘Makaravillaku’ festival on January 15.

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