Ayyappa temples witnessed a heavy rush on the occasion of Makara Sankranti in Vijayawada on Tuesday. The Ayyappa devotees relinquished their ‘deeksha’ at Gollapudi Ayyappa temple and others as part of the occasion. About 2,000 devotees offered their ‘irumudi’ at the Gollapudi Ayyappa temple, while more than 10,000 devotees thronged the temple. The devotees performed ‘ghee abhishekam’ and other offerings to the presiding deity.

Meanwhile, special prayers were conducted at the Jakkampudi Ayyappa temple with hundreds of devotees gathering to witness the ‘Makara Jyoti darshan’. While Sabarimala in Kerala is the only place in the country where Makara Jyoti darshan exactly takes place, devotees flocked to witness the Makara Jyoti at the Ayyappa temple in Jakkampudi, located in the erstwhile Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. 

Devotees performed abhishekam for Lord Ayyappa with various types of flowers, and the Makara Jyoti darshan was observed from the hill opposite the temple.

The Jakkampudi Ayyappa temple is modelled after the Sabarimala temple, with the same structure and measurements. The Makara Jyoti darshan here is unique, with the jyoti being visible from the hill, similar to Sabarimala. Temple authorities distributed ‘teertha prasadams’ to the hundreds of devotees who came for the darshan.