Devotees began thronging the famous Lord Ayyappa temple here as it was opened for five days of lunar pujas and rituals during the auspicious Malayalam month of Chingam, which fell on Wednesday. Melsanthi (head priest) N Parameshwaran Namboothiri opened the portals of the sanctum sanctorum on Tuesday evening and lit the lamp under the patronage of tantri (head priest) Kandari Rajeevaru.
Later, the portals of the sub-deities were also opened and the priests lit lamps there. After the necessary rituals, the devotees were allowed to step onto the holy hill, climb the 18 sacred steps and offer prayers before the main deity – Lord Ayyappa. The shrine will remain open until August 21. Devotees can visit the shrine after registering in the virtual queue system. temple administration sources said. A seat registration system is also in place for pilgrims at Nilakkal, the base camp.
