Sabarimala temple opens for monthly pooja

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sabarimala Ayyappa temple was opened for 'Karkkidaka masa pooja' at 5am on Saturday.
Owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, entry to the hill shrine has been restricted. Only 5,000 pilgrims who book their slots through the virtual queue are given permission to trek to the temple. Pilgrims are asked to carry RT-PCR negative certificate obtained within the last 48 hours or double vaccination certificate, the Travancore Devaswom Board authorities said.
The temple, opened for the off seasonal monthly pooja, would be closed after five days on July 21. 'Neyyabhishekam', 'Udayasthamana pooja', 'Kalasabhishekam' and 'Padi pooja' would be performed during the course of the monthly pooja. After the completion of poojas, the temple would be closed on July 21 night.
Meanwhile, lockdown restrictions have severely affected the financial health of all temples managed by the state government run Devaswom boards. The board, in order to circumvent the heavy financial crisis, is even mulling to sell off unused utensils stalked in temples.