Darshan for only 5000 at Sabarimala for Makaravilakku festival
The Travancore Devaswom Board has informed that only 5,000 pilgrims will be allowed at the Lord Ayyappa temple here for darshan on January 14, the Makaravilakku festival day.
TDB president Adv. N Vasu said that only those who booked via virtual queue in advance will be allowed for darshan. No one will be allowed at the Sannidhanam or premises without pre-booking, he added.
Marking the beginning of the second phase of the annual pilgrimage season, the Lord Ayyappa temple opened on Wednesday evening for the Makaravilakku festival, even as the chief priest quarantined himself after coming into contact with three COVID positive people.
The auspicious Makaravilakku festival falls on January 14 and the shrine would be closed on January 20.
As in the first phase of the pilgrimage which ended on December 26 with customary Mandala pooja, a COVID negative certificate, taken within 48 hours of the pilgrimage, is mandatory in the second leg also.
Pilgrims, who do not have such a certificate, would not be allowed to proceed further from the base camps- Nilakkal and Pampa-- to Sannidhanam (temple complex), they added.