Sabarimala (Kerala): The Mandala Pooja at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple will be held on December 27, from 10.10 am to 11.30 am, temple chief priest Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru announced on Sunday. The associated deeparadhana (arati) will conclude at 11.30 am.

A key highlight of the festival is the golden anki (sacred golden attire), donated by the Travancore Maharaja for the Mandala Pooja. The anki will be brought to Sabarimala in a ceremonial procession beginning from Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple at 7 am on December 23. It is expected to reach Sabarimala Sannidhanam by the evening of December 26, ahead of the evening deeparadhana at 6.30 pm, after which the idol will be adorned with the sacred attire.

On December 27, the Mandala Pooja will be performed after the idol is decorated with the golden anki at noon. The temple will close at 11 pm, following the chanting of Harivarasanam, Lord Ayyappa’s traditional lullaby. The temple will reopen at 5 pm on December 30 for the Makara Vilakku festival, the chief priest confirmed. Devotees can view the golden anki at the Aranmula temple courtyard on December 23 from 5 am to 7 a.m.

Meanwhile, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials confirmed that the serving of the free traditional Kerala feast (annadanam/sadya) for pilgrims began at Sabarimala today. The meal features parippu, sambar, rasam, avial, pickle, thoran, pappadam and payasam, with variations each day and a different type of payasam served daily. Kerala sadya will be offered on alternate days, complemented by pulao on the remaining days.

TDB Executive Officer OG Biju lit the ceremonial lamp and offered the meal to Lord Ayyappa before distribution to devotees. Meals are served on steel plates with steel glasses, accommodating around 5,000 pilgrims daily, with additional food prepared for more visitors.

Sannidhanam Special Officer P Balakrishnan Nair also inspected the annadanam hall. Officials noted that the start of the sadya was slightly delayed due to technical arrangements but expressed confidence that services would run smoothly with Lord Ayyappa’s blessings.

PTI