Sabarimala Mandala Puja Wallpapers

The Sabarimala pilgrimage season centers around the Mandala Puja and Makaravilakku festivals at the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple in Kerala. The Mandala Kalam is a 41-day period of fasting observed by devotees before making the trek through dense forests to the hill-top temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. Pilgrims carry irumudi (sacred bundle) on their heads containing offerings including ghee-filled coconuts. The trek passes through Pamba and Neelimala, culminating in climbing the sacred eighteen steps. The Mandala Puja in late December marks the end of the first pilgrimage season, followed by the Makaravilakku on Makar Sankranti in January, when a celestial light (Makara Jyothi) is seen on the distant hills. An estimated 40-50 million devotees visit Sabarimala annually, making it one of the largest pilgrimages in the world. The festival is primarily observed in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, with Ayyappa devotees identifiable by their black or blue attire during the vratham period.