Sabarimala Pilgrimage Season Begins: New App For Pilgrims, Dos And Don'ts & More

Hundreds of devotees thronged the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple as the portals of the hill shrine opened for the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakkku pilgrimage on Friday.

The temple doors were opened by priests at 3 am on Friday, the first day of the auspicious Malayalam month of Vrichikam, for the annual pilgrimage.

Present during the auspicious opening ceremony were prominent figures such as Kerala Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan, along with MLAs Pramod Narayan and K U Jineesh Kumar.

The newly-appointed president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), P S Prasanth, also offered prayers at the temple in the early hours of Friday.

The sanctum sanctorum was opened on the eve of the pilgrim season on Thursday under the aegis of temple 'tantri' (head priest) Mahesh Mohanaru.

New 'melshanthis' (chief priests) of the Sabarimala and Malikappuram temples - P N Mahesh and P G Murali respectively - have assumed charge for conducting rituals at the shrine for next one year.

'Ayyan' app for Sabarimala pilgrims
Pilgrims heading to Sabarimala for the 'Mandala Makaravilakku Utsavam' this year will now have the convenience of a dedicated app for their journey to Sannidhanam. Developed under the supervision of the Periyar Tiger Reserve West division, the mobile app, named 'Ayyan,' has been launched by the forest department.

This app serves as a comprehensive guide, offering information about various services accessible to devotees visiting Sabarimala. Pilgrims can obtain details about services along routes such as Pampa, Sannidhanam, Swami Ayyappan Road, Pampa-Neelimala-Sannidhanam, Erumely-Azhutha Kadavu-Pampa, and Satram-Uppupara-Sannidhanam.

The 'Ayyan' app, available for download on the Google Play store, supports five languages: Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi. Pilgrims can also acquire the app by scanning the QR code located at the gates of Kanana Patha.

Dos:

• Take rest for 5 minutes after a walk of 10 minutes during the climb.
• Use the traditional path - Marakoottam, Saramkuthy, Nadapanthal - to reach Sannidhanam.
• Follow the queue system to reach Pathinettampadi.
• Use the Nadapanthal fly-over for the return journey.
• Use toilets and latrines for urination and bowel clearance.
• Ascertain the prevailing crowd situation and then only proceed to Sannidhanam from Pampa.
• While using Dolly, make payment only at the Devaswom counter and keep the receipt.
• Subject yourself to security check at security checkpoints.
• Approach police for any help.
• Inform the police about any suspicious characters.
• Buy edible items from licensed outlets only.
• Keep Pampa, Sannidhanam and the trekking paths clean.
• Park vehicles only at the allotted parking slots.
• Deposit waste in waste boxes only.
• Avail the facilities of medical centers and oxygen parlours, if needed.
• Identification cards with address and contact numbers to be hung on the neck of children, aged and malikapurams (girls).
• In case of isolation from groups / friends devotees may report at police aid posts.

Do not:

• Do not use mobile phones at the temple premises.
• Do not smoke at Pampa, Sannidhanam and en route.
• Do not consume alcohol or drugs.
• Do not jump the queue.
• Do not rush while in the queue.
• Do not carry weapons or other explosive substances.
• Do not entertain unauthorized vendors.
• Do not urinate outside toilets and clear bowels outside latrines.
• Do not make extra payment for any service.
• Do not hesitate to approach police for any help.
• Do not throw waste anywhere other than the waste bins.
• Do not break coconuts on the Pathinetampadi.
• Do not break coconuts anywhere other than on designated places on both sides of Pathinettampadi.
• Do not kneel at Pathinetampadi while climbing the holy steps.
• Do not use any path other than Nadapanthal flyover for return journey.
• Do not rest anywhere at Upper Thirumuttam or Thanthrinada.
• Do not use pathways for viris (ground mats) at Nadapanthal and lower Thirumuttam.