Bokaro: The Malayali community in Bokaro added their own flavour to Makar Sankranti on Saturday as several thousand devotees flocked to Sree Ayyappa temple at Sector 5 to celebrate Makaravilakku. Devotees offered prayers and chanted Vedic mantras.
Members of other communities also joined in the prayer ceremony, which was followed by a feast on the temple premises, said Satish Nayar, President of Ayyappa Seva Sangam. A crowd of well over 5,000 relished the prasad – a traditional platter that included rice, sambhar, papadam, payasam, and pickles.
Presently there are about 200 Keralites living in the town who keep the essence of Kerala alive celebrating festivals and sharing their joy with residents. Principals and teachers of different schools, senior BSL officials, businessmen, traders and others participated in the religious function. Video of the Makaravilakku celebrations in Bokaro :
Ragini a resident of Sector 4/D said “On this holy occasion, the customary cuisine with prasad is particularly delicious. The magnificent manner in which the Malayali people celebrated the occasion was unforgettable.” Ragini participated in the function at Sree Ayyappa Public School with her husband Navin Prakash a senior BSL officer.
Dr Suresh Kumar, a devotee belonging to the Malayali community, said “In Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district, an estimated half a million devotees flow to the Sabarimala shrine every year to have darshan on this ritual. The Makaravilakku festival at Sabarimala in Kerala features the procession of thiruvabharanam (Ayyappan’s sacred ornaments). Lord Ayyappan is believed to be an incarnation of Dharma Sasta- the offspring of Mohini and Shiva”.
He added, On the day of Makaravilakku, an annual festival that falls on Makar Sankranti day, it is believed that Lord Ayyappa asserts himself as a holy light in the sky to bless his devotees.
Ayyappa Temple is a prominent place in town and saw a huge number of devotees apart from Keralites visiting for darshan every day. Keralites also run Sree Ayyappa Public School serving quality education to society. Director of Sree Ayappa Public School, S S Mahapatra and DPS principal, A S Gangawar were also present at the occasion.
Another, Secretary of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Mahesh Tripathi said “starts from food to the way Keralites celebrate their function all are impressive”. The general manager of BSL, Electrical Department, Rajul Halkarni who participated in the function with his wife said “It was all memorable”.
