For the first time in its history, the 10-day annual festival at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, scheduled to begin on March 29, has been deferred. The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has postponed the festival following the nationwide lockdown to contain COVID-19. The history of the festival traces back to the installation of the holy mast on the temple premises in 1965, say Tantris (chief priests) Kandararu Rajeevararu and Kandararu Maheswararu Mohanararu.
The festival was scheduled to begin with the customary flag-hoisting ceremony on March 29 and end with the ceremonial arat in the Pampa river on April 7.
Mr. Rajeevararu told The Hindu on Friday that the temple custodian and the Tantri have the freedom to defer the annual festival and there is nothing wrong in the decision. Earlier, the festival used to be celebrated during the 41-day Mandalam pilgrimage season. However, it was changed by the board chaired by G. Raman Nair 10 years ago, as festival rites such as Utsavabali had been posing problems to the pilgrims for holy darshan.
The TDB decision to conduct the 10-day festival in connection with Painguni Uthram, believed to be the birth star of the deity, in the Malayalam month of Meenom (March-April) was made in consultation with the then Tantri Kandararu Mohanararu and astrologers (devaprasnom), Mr. Rajeevararu said.
Vishu festival
TDB president N. Vasu told The Hindu that the conduct of this year’s Vishu festival from April 10 too would be difficult as the 21-day lockdown ends only on Vishu day on April 14.
