Sabarimala temple to open Tuesday for Niraputhari fest

The hill abode of Lord Ayyappa will be opened on Tuesday for 'Niraputhari' festival. 
Sabarimala Temple (Photo | EPS)
Sabarimala Temple (Photo | EPS)

PATHANAMTHITTA: The hill abode of Lord Ayyappa here will be opened on Tuesday for 'Niraputhari' festival. 

Melsanthi Unnikrishnan Nampoothiri will open the Sreekovil of the temple at 5 pm on Tuesday in the presence of thantri Mahesh Mohanaru.

As an ongoing practice of the temple, no ritual will be performed at the Sreekovil of the temple in the evening. The ceremony marking the 'Niraputhari' would be held held between 6 and 6.30 am on August 15, Sabarimala Devaswom executive officer Sudheesh Kumar said.

As part of the one-day festival, paddy spikes brought from various places of the state and neighbouring Tamil Nadu would be taken in a procession led by the melsanthi to the Sreekovil of the temple from Lower Thirurmuttom after climbing the Holy Steps of the temple and circumambulating the Sreekovil of the temple, Sudheesh Kumar said.

At the Sreekovil, the thantri in the presence of the melsanthi would perform poojas on the paddy spikes and would distribute the paddy spikes to the devotees in who offer darsan in front of the Sreekovil, he said.

Kalabhabhishekam offering: Kalabhabhishekam, the special ritual will performed at the temple as part of the "Niraputhari" festival, Sudheesh Kumar said. Thantri Mahesh would perform Brahmakalsa pooja at the Mandapam of the temple in the presence of Melsanthi Unnikrishnan Nampoothiri at 10 am, he said. Kalabhabhishekam, marking the conclusion of the ritual, on the idol of Lord Ayyappa would be performed by the thantri during Uchcha pooja after the procession carrying the Brahmakalasam circumabulating the Sreekovil of the temple.

Udayasthamana pooja, Padipooja and Pushapbhishekam would be the other rituals to be performed at the Sreekovil as part of the Niraputhari festival.

The shrine would be closed on August 15 evening after Athazha pooja and Harivarsanam at 10 pm. The temple would be reopened on August 16, for the five-day monthly poojas for the first month of the Malayalam New Year, Chingam.

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