The temple will remain closed on January 20, marking the end of the pilgrimage season.
Pathanamthitta:
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which oversees the management of the famous Sabarimala temple, on Friday said Rs 310.40 crore was earned by the temple till January 12 as part of the two-month annual pilgrimage.
Addressing reporters at the Sannidhanam guesthouse, TDB president K Ananthagopan said the ‘Thiruvabharana Ghoshayatra’, the procession carrying the sacred ornaments to the hill shrine began on Thursday and would reach Sharamkutty on January 14.
The ‘Mandala Puja’ was held on 27 December, marking the culmination of the first phase of the season. The temple was closed for three days and reopened on 30 December for ‘Makaravilakku’ celebrations, the second phase of the season.
“Out of Rs 310,40,97,309, a total of Rs 231,55,32,006 was received during the ‘Mandalam’ season which ended on December 27 and Rs 78,85,65,303 was generated during the ongoing ‘Makaravilakku’ festival started on December 30,” he said.
The Makaravilakku ritual will be held on January 14. The temple will then be closed on 20 January, marking the end of the pilgrimage season.
He said the procession carrying ‘Thiruvabharanam’ would be welcomed by the Devaswom officials and the puja would take place at 6.30 pm.
“Then ‘Makarajyothi’ will be seen at Ponnambalamettu. The board has made all arrangements for the expected crowd for the Makaravilakku festival,” he added.
He said police and fire department among others have ensured safety precautions ahead of the festival.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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