Sabarimala: Thousands witness Makara Jyothi

Kochi: Thousands of the devotees at Sabarimala witnessed the Makara Jyothi that flickered at Ponnambalamedu on Friday. Braving the heavy rush, pilgrims waited for this moment for hours.
Makaravilakku ceremony, after the sacred ‘Thiruvabharanam’ was placed on the idol of Lord Ayyappa, was performed under the leadership of the tanthri in the presence of melsanthi around 6:35pm.Immediately after that, the devotees saw Makara Jyothi on the eastern horizon.
Earlier, the ceremonial procession carrying ‘Thiruvabharanam’ from Valiakoikkal Dharma Sastha Temple in Pandalam, was accorded a traditional reception at Saramkuthi, while on its way to the hill shrine, around 5pm. Devaswom officials accompanied the procession till it reached the 18 holy steps of the temple by 6:35pm. Devaswom minister K Radhakrishnan, president of Travancore Devaswom Board K Ananthagopan, ADGP S Sreejith and others were present there.
Melsanthi and tanthri received the ornaments and adorned the deity, following which ‘deeparadhana’ was held. While puja was progressing inside, thousands of devotees chanted ‘Sharana mantras’ at various locations of Sannidhanam. Sopana Sangeetham was performed in front of the temple.
The doors of the sreekovil reopened after deeparadhana around 6:48pm after which the Jyothi was seen at Ponnambalamedu, located 8km away from the temple, at 6:51pm. ‘Swamiye Saranamayyappa’ chants intensified when Makara Jyothi flickered across the horizon.
Earlier, Makara Samkrama puja was performed at the temple by the tanthri at 2:29pm. Ghee brought from Kowdiar Palace was offered to the deity as part of the puja. The hill shrine will be closed on Jan 19, marking the conclusion of the pilgrimage season.
Devaswom officials said over 50,000 devotees visited the shrine on Friday. The heavy rush of people forced the policemen on duty to block thousands of devotees, on their way to Sabarimala, at Pamba. There was a strict ban on the entry of devotees at Pullumedu this time as part of Covid restrictions. The TDB president had clarified that the decision on Covid-related restriction, to be imposed on visitors in the following days, would be taken only after Makaravilakku.