Sabarimala temple to reopen on March 14 for Panguni month pooja

CHENNAI: The Sabarimala temple will reopen on March 14 for the Panguni month pooja, with Melsanthi Arunkumar Namboothiri conducting the rituals in the presence of Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru and Brahmadattan.

Devotees will be allowed to attend the various poojas that are scheduled daily from March 15 to 19.

Meanwhile, the Travancore Devasthanam President Prashanth announced that devotees will now be able to climb the 18 holy steps and enter the temple directly from the consecration pole instead of having to go around the flyover. This would help them save time and allow the devotees to spend more time during the darshan, he said.

The president noted that to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Travancore Devasthanam, gold lockets with the image of Lord Ayyappa will be sold at the temple. The lockets weighing 1 to 8 grams will be open for bookings from April 1, according to Daily Thanthi.

Meanwhile, the two-day International Ayyappa Sangam festival will be held in Mumbai in May and over 50 foreign Ayyappa devotees are expected to participate in it.

In a subsequent development, the Kerala High Court has granted permission to hike the worship fees by 30 per cent in over 1,250 temples, including Sabarimala, that fall under the Travancore Devasthanam.