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| For long, devotees believed that the divine Jyothi was a manifestation of the god Ayyappan himself |
January 15, 2016, NewsCrunch
Though it has been clarified that Makara Jyothi is man-made, it remains the pilgrimage highlight for many devotees, who visit Sabarimla on the Sankranti day.
The holy light appears at dusk on the day of Makara Sankaranthi on the Kantamala hills facing the Sabarimala temple.
For long, devotees believed that the Jyothi was of divine origin, a manifestation of the god Ayyappan himself at at Ponnambalamedu, believed to be his abode.
In 2012, bowing to pressure from rationalists and media, Sabarimala temple authorities clarified that Makara Jyothi was a "deeparadhana" performed by a pries.
They also made a distinction between "Makaravilakku", a ritualistic lighting of lamp at Ponnambalamedu and Makara Jyothi, a star that appears on the skies on the Makarasamkrama day above the Ponnambalamedu.
Historians say lighting the lamp atop the Ponnambalamedu hill has been an ancient tradition of tribal communities living around the hillshrine.