The Mandala Pooja, a ritual marking the conclusion of the first phase of the annual pilgrimage to the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple, is scheduled for December 26. Temple Tantri (head priest) Kandararu Rajeevaru will conduct the ceremony between noon and 12:30 pm, as announced by Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) President P S Prasanth during a press conference on Tuesday.
The ceremonial "thanka anki" procession, which began at the Aranmula Parthasarathi Temple in Pathanamthitta on Sunday, is expected to reach Pamba by Wednesday afternoon, according to officials.
The procession will be initially welcomed by Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan at Pamba, before being received by the TDB President and members at the Sannidhanam (temple complex) later in the evening.
Later, the "thanka anki," the sacred attire, would be draped on the idol of the presiding deity before the 'aarathi.' After the mandala pooja and the "neyyabhishekam," the portals of the Lord Ayyappa temple would be closed by 11 pm on December 26, marking the culmination of the first leg of the annual pilgrimage, he said.
Sabarimala will reopen on the evening of December 30 for the Makaravilakku festivities, with the ritual scheduled for January 14, said Prashant. As part of crowd management, virtual queue bookings have been capped at 50,000 and 60,000 for the events on December 25 and 26. This cap aligns with a High Court directive, which mandates that spot bookings be limited to 5,000 on both days. The virtual queue bookings for January 13 and 14, during the Makaravilakku festivities, have been set at 50,000 and 40,000, respectively, he added.