Thousands witness Makaravilakku at Sabarimala

Amid an unprecedented surge of devotees who had been camping in and around the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple for the past several days, the Makaravilakku festival was celebrated at the hill temple on Wednesday.

Braving the massive crowds, thousands of devotees waited for hours to catch a glimpse of the Makarajyoti — the celestial light that appears on the eastern horizon of the Sannidhanam — and to witness the Makaravilakku deeparadhana performed atop the Ponnambalamedu hillock facing the temple.

The entire pilgrimage zone, including the surrounding hills, had been packed with devotees for days, all eagerly awaiting the twilight spectacle. Rooftops of buildings, east-facing hillsides, and grasslands within the Sabarimala forest area were occupied by pilgrims seeking vantage points to witness the event.

Prior to the ritual, the 26-member team carrying the sacred ornaments from the Pandalam Palace formally handed over the jewellery casket to Tantri Mahesh Mohanaru and Melsanthi E.D. Prasad.

The ceremony was attended by dignitaries, including Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president K. Jayakumar. The deity was adorned with the thiruvabharanam, and the deeparadhana at the Sannidhanam was performed at 6.40 p.m.

Devotion reached a crescendo when the deeparadhana was performed atop Ponnambalamedu and the brilliant flame of the Makaravilakku was sighted thrice. Along with devotees at the Sannidhanam, pilgrims stationed at various vantage points across the Sabarimala hills witnessed the sacred light. The police had put in place elaborate security arrangements at all these locations.

Earlier in the day, the Makarasankrama puja was performed at the Ayyappa temple.

To manage the heavy influx of pilgrims, the authorities opened additional parking grounds at Nilackal. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operated 100 buses to handle the rush, while around 2,000 police personnel were deployed across the pilgrimage zone. With the region witnessing an unprecedented concentration of devotees and vehicles, strict traffic regulations were enforced along the Sabarimala routes from multiple directions.

Meanwhile, the temple recorded a significant increase in revenue during the ongoing Mandala–Makaravilakku season, with total collections touching ₹429 crore, based on accounts up to January 12. During the corresponding period last year, the revenue stood at ₹380 crore.

Revenue from the sale of appam and aravana alone amounted to ₹190 crore, compared to ₹160 crore in the previous season. Offerings received through the hundi (kanikka) generated ₹110 crore, up from ₹105 crore last year. Coin counting is currently under way, with additional staff deployed to complete the process by January 20.

According to the TDB, around 51 lakh pilgrims had visited the temple for darshan so far. Of these, about 44 lakh pilgrims arrived during the Mandala season, while approximately 7 lakh visited during the Makaravilakku festival period.