Mandala Puja Ushers In The Annual Pilgrimage To The Lord Ayyappa Shrine In Kerala

Mumbai: Mandala Puja, the 41 days of austerity and prayers in preparation for the annual pilgrimage to the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala, Kerala, started on November 17. An estimated 60,000 to 70,000 devotees are expected to participate in the pilgrimage to the hill-top shrine from the Mumbai region alone. The pilgrimage will end on December 27.

Devotees who are planning to do the pilgrimage have to follow the rules of celibacy, vegetarian food, wearing black clothes, daily prayers, abstaining from tobacco, alcohol, and other intoxicants. They wear a Tulsi mala, a beaded necklace with a locket having an image of Lord Ayyappa, as a symbol of asceticism. The mala is offered to the devotee by a guruswami, a devotee who has an understanding of the rituals and rules for the pilgrimage.

The act of initiating a devotee to the pilgrimage process is called Ayyappa Swamy Deeksha, symbolised by the wearing of the mala. This is followed by a visit to a local temple before the journey to Sabarimala. The guruswami is also a religious guide who leads a group of relative novices on the spiritual journey, explaining the rituals and clarifying doubts.

V Gopalakrishnan Nair, president of the 75-year-old Ayyappa Bhakta Samithi in Dadar and a hotelier, will undertake his 48th annual pilgrimage to Sabarimala. On Monday, Nair, along with 12 other devotees, took the deeksha. Devotees travel to Erumeli, a town in the foothills of the Western Ghats, by road. From there, it is a four to five-hour trek through forests to the shrine. Experienced devotees can complete the walk in less than four hours.

This year's pilgrimage comes in the backdrop of an investigation into the alleged theft of gold from the temple's sanctum by people associated with the shrine's management. A special investigation team is probing the case under the supervision of the Kerala High Court. The Travancore Devaswom Board, a government body, manages the temple.

"Pilgrims are upset about what has happened. The incident took place a long time ago. The investigations are happening during the pilgrimage season. There is a new chairman in the Devaswom Board. It will be a difficult task to manage the millions of pilgrims. However, the investigation is being monitored by the court. There is hope," said Nair.

The Konkan prant of the Sabarimala Ayyappa Seva Samajam (SASS), an organisation representing Lord Ayyappa devotees, has set up centres for annaprasadam in Kerala to feed devotees. Last year, SASS served 35 lakh satvik meals, said H Kumar Vaidyanathan, a Vasai resident and a member of SASS.

On Sunday morning, devotees in Mumbai will be able to participate in bhajans by the renowned singer Veeramani Raju and the Nandagovindam Bhajan group, who will be performing at the Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Auditorium, Sion.

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