Sabarimala temple to be opened today

The Lord Ayyappa temple here will be opened on Wednesday for the 41-day-long first phase of annual pilgrimage season.
A devotee checks beaded chains used by Sabarimala pilgrims at a shop in Chalai market in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. The hill shrine will be opened on Wednesday marking the beginning of the Mandala season | B P Deepu
A devotee checks beaded chains used by Sabarimala pilgrims at a shop in Chalai market in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. The hill shrine will be opened on Wednesday marking the beginning of the Mandala season | B P Deepu

SABARIMALA: The Lord Ayyappa temple here will be opened on Wednesday for the 41-day-long first phase of annual pilgrimage season. Melsanthi Unnikrishnan Nampoothiri will open the sreekovil at 5 pm in the presence of thantri Mahesh Mohanaru. The installation ceremony of E S Unnikrishnan Nampoothiri as the new Sabarimala melsanthi will be held on Wednesday.

Thantri Mahesh Mohanaru will perform the ceremony by conducting ‘kalasabhishekam’ on the new melsanthi in front of the sreekovil at 6 pm. After the kalasabhishekam, the thantri will pass on the ‘moolamantram’ of Lord Ayyappa to the new melsanthi after leading him to the sreekovil.

The customary key handing-over ceremony will be held during the closure of the sreekovil at 10 pm. As part of the ceremony, the Sabarimala devaswom administrative officer will receive the key from the outgoing melsanthi after locking the sreekovil and will hand over it to the new melsanthi in front of the sreekovil. 

Mohanlal joins hand with Green Campaign

T’Puram: Actor Mohanlal has joined hands with the state government’s Green Sabarimala Campaign. Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran launched the ‘Clean and Safe Campaign’ as part of the Green Sabarimala Campaign here on Tuesday. Extensive campaigns are being planned in this regard. 

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