Start of 41-day Mandala Kalam at Sabarimala; pilgrims begin strict vrat

Mandala Pooja begins on Vrischikam 1 of the Malayalam calendar, opening the 41-day Mandala Kalam at the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple in Kerala, which ends with the Mandala Pooja on Dhanu 11 (27 December 2026). The temple opens the evening before, and from the first day pilgrims in their lakhs begin to climb the Sabari hills through the Pampa and Neelimala paths. Devotees undertake the Mandala vratam: they wear a mala of tulsi or rudraksha beads, dress in black, blue or saffron, and for 41 days live as ascetics — celibate, vegetarian, abstaining from alcohol and tobacco, sleeping on the floor, walking barefoot and calling each other 'Swami', since every devotee is seen as a form of Ayyappa. They carry the irumudi, a two-compartment bundle holding a ghee-filled coconut for the abhishekam of the deity, on their heads, and only those with an irumudi may climb the sacred 18 steps (Pathinettam Padi). Ayyappa, born of Shiva and Vishnu as Mohini, is worshipped as the celibate yogi seated in meditation. The season continues with the Makaravilakku festival in January.

41 days of celibacy, simple vegetarian food, no alcohol or tobacco, sleeping on the floor and walking barefoot.