Sabarimala Pilgrimage Crosses 15 Lakh Devotees
Officials have confirmed that the number of devotees visiting the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage at the Sabarimala Swamy Ayyappa Temple has crossed 15 lakh. The Mandala Puja season began on November 17, and the temple was opened the previous evening with chants of Sarana Gosham.
From Nov. 16 to Nov. 30, a total of 12,47,954 devotees had worshipped at the shrine, with 50,264 visiting on Nov. 30 alone. As of 7 PM on Dec. 3, 14,95,774 devotees had reached the temple, and the count is expected to exceed 15 lakh after including late arrivals.
Officials noted that crowd management is fully under control, with a cap of 5,000 direct registrations per day, and around 15% of online registrants not turning up. Between Wednesday midnight and 7 PM, 66,522 devotees visited the temple.
The Mandala Puja, the key event of the 41-day season, will be held on December 27, followed by adorning Lord Ayyappa with a golden robe and performing a special Deeparathanai. The temple will close that night and reopen on December 30 for the Makaravilakku Puja, with the Makarajyothi Darshan scheduled for January 14.
