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Wearing masks and strictly adhering to COVID-19 protocols, devotees of Lord Ayyappatrekked the holy hill Sabarimala and provided prayers at the templehere because the shrine opened for the annual two- month-long Mandala-Makaravilakku season on Monday morning. It is the primary annual pilgrimage season at the hill temple after the coronavirus outbreak.
“Sannidhanam”, the temple complicated which used to witness a sea of devotees on the primary day of the Malayalam month of Vrichikam, noticed solely few devotees this morning. Pilgrims have been allowed to trek the hills since three AM from Pampa, the bottom camp, via a digital queue system, temple officers stated.
Pilgrims from neighbouring states have been among the many most who flocked to the shrine within the preliminary hours, Devaswom Board sources right here stated. Mask-wearing staff of Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the shrine and police personnel kep vigil at numerous factors from the bottom camps to the temple complicated to make sure that devotees adopted the COVID protocols in a strict method.
The rituals started with tantri (head priest), Kantaru Rajeevaru, performing the ‘Ashtadravya Maha Ganapathy homam’ at the Sannidhanam, they stated. Though the shrine opened final night, there was no particular pooja on Sunday and devotees have been permitted contained in the complicated solely this morning.
Marking the start of the 62-day-long pilgrimage season, Melshanti AK Sudheer Namboothiri had opened the doorways of the sanctum sanctorum and lit the lamps within the presence of the Tantri on Sunday night. The newly-elected melsanthi V Okay Jayaraj Potti and Malikkapuram Melsanthi M N Raj Kumar, who have been the primary to climb the holy 18 steps and supply prayers, took cost Sunday night itself.
Each day, only one,000 pilgrims, who’ve booked via the digital queue system, could be allowed to supply prayers. They need to carryCOVID-19unfavorable certificates obtained 48 hours earlier than they attain Nilackkal and Pamba, base camps.
COVID-19 kiosks have been opened at the bottom camps for testing and the pilgrims will not be allowed to remain at the temple premises, official sources stated. According to Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the hill shrine, about 85,000 devotees would offer prayers throughout this pilgrim season.
During Saturdaysand Sundays, 2,000 folks could be allowed for darshan and on Mandala pooja and Makaravilakku days 5,000 pilgrims could be permitted, it added. In view of the pandemic, the Health division has made elaborate preparations for antigen assessments in numerous centres together with all bus stands and railway stations at Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruvalla, Chengannur and Kottayam, the place pilgrims arrive to proceed to the Ayyappa temple.
As per Covid protocols, these within the 10-60 age group would solely be allowed to supply prayers at the shrine, the place lakhs of devotees go to every year throughout the pilgrimage season. Doctors, together with specialists, have been posted on a rotation foundation for seven days every whereas all different workers have been posted on a rotation foundation for 15 days from November 15 to January 19 subsequent 12 months, sources added.
The auspicious Mandala pooja could be held on December 26. After the Makaravilakku ritual on January 14, the temple could be closed on January 20, marking the top of the season.
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