Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple Opens For Annual Pilgrimage Season: Watch video

On Saturday, the doors of Kerala's Sabarimala Temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, swung open, inaugurating the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku festivals and the start of the two-month-long pilgrimage season. In the presence of the temple's chief priest and the thantri, the sanctum sanctorum was ceremoniously opened. Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, one of India's holiest shrines, welcomed devotees on November 18, drawing large crowds eager to offer prayers. The reopening of the temple also marked the beginning of the two-month-long pilgrimage season and the commencement of the Makaravilakku festival on Saturday morning. Makaravilakku, an annual celebration occurring on Makarasankranthi day (January 14), is associated with the belief that a celestial light will manifest in the sky, and devotees await this auspicious occurrence before seeking darshan.