Sabarimala temple opens for annual mandala pooja; virtual queue fully booked for first two weeks

Pathanamthitta: The Mandala Pooja season at the Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala began with grand rituals on Saturday morning. The new Melshanti, Arun Kumar Namboothiri, opened the sanctum sanctorum at 3 am to the sounds of devotees chanting 'Saranam.' Thousands of pilgrims gathered to offer prayers as the temple's premises filled with devotion.

Since Friday, devotees have been arriving in large numbers, with 70,000 pilgrims having booked their darshan through the virtual queue system. An additional 10,000 devotees are expected to book their darshan through spot bookings. The temple has extended its darshan timings to accommodate the high number of devotees.

The temple's sanctum sanctorum will close at 1 pm and reopen at 3 pm, with darshan continuing until 11 pm. The day’s activities include various poojas, such as 'Neyyabhishekam' at 3.30 am, 'Ushapooja' at 7.30 am, and 'Deeparadhana' at 6.30 pm. The temple's schedule concludes with the 'Athazhappooja' at 9.30 pm.

The virtual queue for the first two weeks of the season is already fully booked, and only a few slots remain for November 30. On days when the virtual queue is at capacity, pilgrims can access the temple through spot bookings available at Pampa, Erumeli, and Sathram. However, the Pampa booking center has seen heavy crowds, making the process more challenging for pilgrims.