SABARIMALA: The hill abode of Lord Ayyappa here will be opened on April 10 for eight-day Vishu festival. Melsanthi Jayaraj Potti will open the sreekovil of the temple in presence of thantri Kandararu Rajivaru at 5 pm. As an ongoing practice of the temple, no ritual will be performed at the sreekovil in the evening.
As part of Covid-19, restrictions on the entry of devotees for darsan will continue during the Vishu festival. A total of 10,000 devotees will be allowed darsan daily through virtual queue passes. RT-PCR negative certificates will be mandatory for darsan of Lord Ayyappa. The sreekovil will be opened for the annual Vishukani darsan between 5 and 6pm on April 14.
As part of the preparations, the idol of Lord Ayyappa will be decorated with flowers before the closure of the sreekovil at 9 pm on April 13. Thantri Kandararu Rajivaru and melsanthi Jayaraj Potti will distribute coins to the devotees after Vishukani darsan.
Special ritualsUdayasthamana pooja, kalabhabhishekam and padi pooja will be the special rituals to be performed at the temple during eight days of Vishu festival. In connection with kalabhabhishekam on April 11, the thantri will perform brahmakalasa pooja at the mandapam of the temple in the presence of melsanthi at 9 am. The special ritual will conclude with kalabhabhishekam on the idol of Lord Ayyappa during uchcha pooja after the procession carrying the brahmakalasam led by the thantri circumambulating the sreekovil. The temple will be closed on April 18 after athazha pooja and harivarasanam at 9 pm.