Mumbaikars flock to Sabarimala annual pilgrimage season kicks off at kerala’s ayyappa temple

Mumbaikars flock to Sabarimala

annual pilgrimage season kicks off at kerala’s ayyappa temple

As the annual pilgrimage season opens up at the Kerala-based Hindu temple for Ayyappa devotees, Sabarimala, people from across the city are gearing up to visit the holy hillock. Thousands of Malayalis and Tamilians have formed groups and have started heading South. Also, if the insights from temple trustees and devotees are anything to go by, the number of Maharashtrian and Gujarati residents from Mumbai heading to Sabarimala has increased by 15 to 20% this year. Secretary of the mini Sabarimala temple in Kanjurmarg, NV Kurup, said, “Over the years, the group that goes for darshan has become more diverse. This year, we have Maharashtrians and Gujaratis in large numbers tagging along with the South Indian groups to visit the holy shrine.” Murali Panicker, president of the Ayyappa temple in Goregaon, said that the publicity as well as the stories, music and shows based on Ayyappa intrigue people. “Besides, the Makaravilakku (a light that appears on the Ponnambalamedu hill) in Sabarimala is gaining a lot of popularity and everybody wants to experience it,” Panicker said, adding that people from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal also go for the pilgrimage. Abhijit Rane, a 26-year-old media professional, has been going to Sabarimala the last four years. He said, “I love the energy and spirit surrounding the pilgrimage.” K Sankar, one of the trustees of Sri Ayyappa Temple in Nerul, said, “All these non-Malayalis observe the 41-day purification processes like prayers, abstinence from alcohol, leisure, etc prior to the pilgrimage very religiously. They either consult Malayalis or come to us to understand the intricacies of rituals.” P Janardhanan, general secretary of Sree Ayyappa Temple in Borivli, said the pilgrimage is now more hassle-free than before. “Over the last three years, people have been given the choice of making advance online bookings for a specific time for darshan and stand in a separate queue as per the time generated to them. The crowd is more structured this way.” Some temple authorities say Muslims too are seen on this pilgrimage as there is a mosque situated near the shrine and another en route to the temple.