Pathanamthitta: As part of the Makaravilakku festival, the Sabarimala temple will open on Tuesday. The shrine will be opened at 5 pm by Tantri Kandaru Mahesh Mohanar in the presence of Melsanthi E. D. Prasad Namboothiri.
After the sacred fire is lit in the azhi at the Sannidhanam, devotees will be allowed to have darshan by climbing the holy eighteen steps. Devotees can worship Lord Ayyappa adorned with the yogadanda and rudraksha mala, and smeared with sacred ash.
No poojas will be conducted today. The temple will close at 11 pm after the chanting of Harivarasanam. Over the next three days, cleaning and other preparatory works at the Sannidhanam will be completed.
For Tuesday, darshan through the virtual queue has been restricted to 30,000 devotees. From Wednesday onwards, neyyabhishekam and regular poojas will resume. The Makaravilakku festival will be observed on January 14.
