Sabrimala:  The hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa was closed on Tuesday evening after the Mandala pooja, the ritual marking the conclusion of the first phase of the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.

Mandala pooja was held after adorning the idol with ‘thanka anki’, which was brought here on Monday after a four-day journey from Aranmula Sree Parthasarathy temple. Prior to the pooja, kalabhabhishekam was performed on the idol of Lord Ayyappa.

The temple will reopen on December 30 for the 21-day Makaravilakku season.

The procession carrying the Thiruvabharanam, the attire in gold to be adorned on the idol of Lord Ayyappa, will be taken out from Pandalam Valiyakoickal Sree Dharma Sastha Temple on January 13.

The auspicious Makarasamkrama pooja at Lord Ayyappa Temple will be held at 12.58 am on January 15.

The annual Makaravilakku, after adorning the Thiruvabharanam on the idol of Lord Ayyappa, will be conducted at 6.30 pm on January 15.

The procession from Malikappuram Devi Temple will  be carried out from January 15 to 20.

Lord Ayyappa temple will be closed at 7 am on January 21 after the customary darshan of Pandalam Raja’s representative.