SABARIMALA: The Sabarimala temple here will open on November 16 for the two-month-long annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season. Melsanthi Vasudevan Nampoothiri will open the sanctum sanctorum of the temple at 5pm in the presence of Thantri Mahesh Mohanaru. At 7pm, A K Sudhir Nampoothiri will be installed as the new melsanthi at a ceremony to be held in front of the sreekovil.
As part of the ceremony, the thantri will perform “kalasabishekam” on the new melsanthi. Then the thantri will lead the new melsanthi to the sreekovil of the temple and pass on the “moolamntram” of Lord Ayyappa.Sudhir will start performing his duties as the melsanthi on November 17 by opening the sreekovil 4am. He will be in charge for the next one year.
The new melsanthi of the Malikappuram Devi temple, M S Parameswaran Nampoothiri, will also take charge November 17. The installation ceremony of the new melsanthi will be held in front of the sreekovil of Malikappuram temple at 8pm on the previous day.