SABARIMALA: Tens of thousands of pilgrims from different parts of South India thronged to the sacred grove of Lord Ayyappa on Monday witnessed the Makarajyoti appeared on the Ponnambalamedu in the eastern horizon of the temple marking the end of two-month-long Mandala-Makaravil- akku season.
The temple authorities heaved a sigh of relief as the most tumultuous festival season of the hill shrine in its history ended peacefully.
The pilgrims, who started camping in tents erected in various places in Sannidhanam and surrounding areas, turned in a mode of extreme piety as they saw the celestial light appeared thrice in the twilight at 6.40 pm.
Although it was a moderate turnout compared to the previous seasons, songs and chants of the Lord filled the atmosphere. For an hour, the devotion turned acoustics of music, ricocheting off all subsidiary hills around the shrine.
Pilgrims started camping since Sunday evening itself in places like Paandithavalom, Appachimedu, Marakkoottom, Urakkuzhy, and Malikappuram.
Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials received the procession carrying the Thiruvabhar- anam, sacred jewellery of the deity, in the presence of Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran at Sannidhanam at 6.30 pm.
The deeparadhana, wrapping the Thiruvabharanam upon the deity, followed. By the time, Makarajyoti appeared at Ponnambalamedu, a remote eastern hill facing the shrine.
A few minutes later, Neyyabhishekam (puja of pouring ghee) on the deity performed with the ghee brought from the Kowdiar Palace in Thiruvananthapuram in seven 'nei-thenga,' coconuts filled with ghee.
An hour later, around 7.50 pm, the celestial bright star Makara, known as Makara Jyothi, appeared on the eastern horizon, following the Makara Sankranthi puja.
Soon after getting blessed with the sight, pilgrims started descending through the traditional trekking paths. A large posse of police, deployed at Pampa, made their movement smooth to the Pampa bus station.
The outflow lasted the late nightThough the entire season marred by untoward incidents over the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of reproductive age, defined as between 10 and 50, the whole day was calm and peaceful. On the Makaravilakku day, as per the police data, 48,030 pilgrims crossed metal detectors at Pampa by 2 p.m.The number, compared to last year, was so low. Reports claimed 42 lakh pilgrims had darshan this season.
