Sabarimala all set for Makaravilakku festival

Pathanamthitta: Sabarimala temple is all set for the Makaravilakku festival on January 15 and all arrangements have been made for the pilgrims to view the 'Makara Jyothi', Travancore Devaswom board (TDB) which manages the hilltop shrine said on Sunday.

Addressing the media, TDB president P S Prasanth said a huge rush is expected for the Makaravilakku festival and also to witness the Makara Jyothi on January 15. He said arrangements have been made at the 10 view points in and around Sabarimala for the pilgrims to witness the Makara Jyothi. "All preparations have been completed at Sabarimala for the Makaravilakku festival tomorrow. The devotees should follow the instructions of the police and the fire force," the TDB president said.

He added that around 80 lakh biscuits sponsored by the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department will be distributed among the pilgrims, along with medicinal water. Meanwhile, the procession carrying the Thiruvabharanam (sacred ornaments) will reach Sabarimala on January 15 evening. After halting at several temples on the route and accepting the reception of devotees, the procession would reach Sabarimala where it will be received by the priests and the TDB officials. The priests would adorn the deity with the jewellery prior to the deeparadhana on the day.

The Makara Jyothi, which is considered a divine light by devotees, usually flickers across the eastern horizon above Ponnambalamedu, a remote hilltop around eight km from the temple complex, soon after deeparadhana. The lighting of the flame by the Kerala government, with the support of the Travancore Devaswom Board and forest department, at Ponnamabalamedu is a continuation of the practice followed by tribal families who live near the hilltop. Thousands witness this from Sabarimala and the adjacent hills on Makaravilakku festival day.