Sabarimala temple to open for Makaravilakku festival from Dec 30

Thiruvananthapuram: The Sabarimala temple will open on December 30 at 5 pm for "Makaravilakku", the annual festival at the hill shrine of Sabarimala, officials said on Monday.

The festival includes taking the Thiruvabharanam (sacred ornaments of the Lord Ayyappan) in a procession to the temple. 

As per a statement from the Travancore Devasom Board (TDB), pilgrims will be allowed entry to the temple from the morning of December 31, 2020 till January 19, 2021. The temple will be closed on January 20.

The virtual queue booking for the pilgrimage can be done online from the official website of the temple from December 28, it said.

Entry to the temple will be limited to only 5,000 pilgrims per day.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a COVID-negative certificate, taken within 48 hours of the pilgrimage, will be mandatory for Ayyappa devotees visiting from December 31, the TDB said.

"Those who do not have a COVID test negative certificate will not be allowed entry into Sabarimala. There would be no COVID-19 testing facility at Nilakkal."

Makaravilakku is a 41-day long annual puja festival celebrated at the shrine of Sabarimala.