Makaravilakku Festival Set to Illuminate Sabarimala: Preparations Underway

The Lord Ayyappa Temple will open on December 30 for the annual Makaravilakku festival. The event culminates the pilgrimage season and falls on January 14, 2026. Extensive cleanliness drives are being conducted in surrounding areas to prepare for the influx of pilgrims.

The revered Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala is preparing to open its doors for the eagerly anticipated Makaravilakku festival. Set to begin on December 30, this festival marks the end of the over two-month-long pilgrimage season, concluding with the ritual on January 14, 2026.

The temple will welcome devotees at 5 p.m. on December 30 with the chief priest E D Prasad and head priest Mahesh Mohanaru performing the opening rituals. Pilgrims will partake in the traditional path over the holy eighteen steps to seek blessings.

Preparations are underway for the grand event, including large-scale cleanliness drives around the temple. Various entities, including government departments and volunteer groups, are collaborating to ensure the sanctity and cleanliness of the temple's surroundings.