Pathanamthitta, Thursday, January 20, 2011: The two-month-long annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season at Sabarimala came to a close with the Guruti ritual at Malikappuram on Wednesday evening. The Ayyappa Temple witnessed heavy rush on Wednesday as hundreds of devotees undertook the pilgrimage to the forest temple on the last day of the season.

Padipuja, Udayasthamanpuja, Ashtabhishekom and Pushpabhishekom were the important rituals performed at the Sannidhanam. Temple chief priest Kandararu Rajeevaru assisted by head priest Ezhikode Sasi Namboodiri performed the Padipuja at the holy-18 steps after the Pushpabhishekom in the evening.

The Guruti ritual to propitiate the ‘Bhoothagana’ of Lord Ayyappa was performed at Malikappuram in the evening, marking the culmination of the annual Sabarimala pilgrimage season.

Royal representative of Pandalam Palace Raghava Varma Raja and Sabarimala Executive Officer V.S. Jayakumar supervised the ritual.

The five-day customary Vilakkinezhunnellathu ceremony in the last lap of the Makaravilakku festival concluded with a procession to Saramkuthi on the trekking path from Malikappuram Devi temple on Tuesday night.