Anxiety looms as Sabarimala temple reopens tomorrow

February 11, 2019 16:25

There is a sense of anxiety in and around Sabarimala as the Lord Ayyappa shrine is all set to reopen on Tuesday for monthly worship, after witnessing frenzied protests during the recently concluded annual pilgrim season over the entry of young women.

The hilltop temple would be opened for five days till February 17 for the monthly pujas during the Malayalam month of Kumbam, temple authorities said Monday.

Several special rituals including 'kalabhabhishekam', 'sahasrakalasam' and 'laksharchana' would be performed during the five days at the shrine, the 'sanctum sanctorum' of which would be thrown open by chief priest Vasudevan Nampoothiri Tuesday evening.

Tantri (head priest) Kandararu Rajeevaru would also be present during the time of pujas, they said.

As the shrine is set to open, state police has stepped up vigil in and around Sabarimala in view of possible protests by Sangh outfits against the entry of women, belonging to the traditionally barred age group.

The police said certain restrictions had already been imposed in areas from Nilackal, the base camp to Sannidhanam (temple complex) to ensure smooth darshan for devotees.

-- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Search stepped up in J-K to nab terrorists behind murder of jawan's brother

The incident occurred on Monday night when the victim, Mohammad Razaq (40), came out of a mosque in his village Kunda Top under the Thanamandi police station area. Razaq's brother, Mohammad Tahir Choudhary, is a soldier in the...

IPL PIX: Stoinis slams century as LSG clinch record win!

IMAGES from the IPL 2024 match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.

Djokovic mulls going without coach after 20 years!

World number one Novak Djokovic is considering going without a coach after 20 years in professional tennis, the Serb said after receiving the top men's honour at the Laureus awards.

Cong tried to redirect SC/ST quota to Muslims: Modi rakes up Andhra in Raj

He said the then prime minister Manmohan Singh had given a speech in which he had said Muslims have the first right to the country's resources.

IPL is the world's best domestic T20 competition by a long way: Ponting

Australian batting great Ricky Ponting on Tuesday hailed the Indian Premier League as the world's best domestic T20 competition "by a long way", saying it is one of the best places to learn for talented youngsters such as Jake...