Sabarimala temple to open today for 5-day ritual - read guidelines here

Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple will be opened today for the five-day monthly pooja during the Malayalam month of Meenam and for the Uthram festival.

Earlier, the Kerala High Court ordered that 10,000 devotees can be allowed darshan at the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple during the monthly pujas in Meenam. 

According to the Travancore Devaswom Board, Melsanthi VK Jayaraj Potti will open the sanctum sanctorum under the guidance of Thanthri Kandararu Rajeevaru at 5 pm today.

This will be followed by the opening of the various upadevatha temples on its premises.

Pilgrims will be permitted temple entry from the next day morning (Monday). In view of the COVID-19 situation, only devotees who have booked slots through the virtual queue will be allowed darshan.

Guidelines set by Devaswom bench

Justices CT Ravikumar and Murali Purushothaman didn't approve the request by Sabarimala special commissioner to do away with the virtual queue system. 

At present 5000 devotees are allowed daily for darshan through the virtual queue.

Devaswom Board demanded that everyone arriving with negative COVID RT-PCR reports should be allowed for darshan. This demand was also rejected by the court.

Devotees should book for darshan online before arriving on March 15 for monthly puja.

Devotees have to carry along with them COVID negative RT-PCR report obtained within 48 hours.

The virtual queue booking is done through the website handled by Kerala Police. 

The temple that opens on March 15 for Meenam monthly puja will be closed after the Uthram festival on March 28.

COVID testing facilities will be arranged at Nilakkal and the reports will be released within one hour, the special commissioner informed the court.