Makaravilakku Festival:
Sabarimala is fully prepared for the Makaravilakku festival, with 5,000 police deployed and enhanced security measures.
- Makaravilakku is a significant annual festival celebrated at the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala.
- It takes place on the day of Makara Sankranti.
- The festival marks the culmination of the annual pilgrimage season to the temple.
- On Makaravilakku day, the sacred Thiruvabharanam, the royal ornaments of Lord Ayyappa, are brought to the temple from the Pandalam Palace.
- The highlight of the Makaravilakku festival is the sighting of a celestial light, known as the “Makarajyothi” or “Makaravilakku.”
- According to popular belief, the light is a divine manifestation of Lord Ayyappa himself.
- It is said to appear on the horizon of the Ponnambalamedu hill, located near the Sabarimala Temple.
- The Makaravilakku festival extends beyond the actual day of Makara Sankranti.
- The festival lasts for seven days and ends with the ritual known as ‘Guruthi ” an offering conducted to propitiate the gods and goddesses of wilderness.
- No one remains in the temple premises after the performance of Guruthi.
