Mandala Season Explained: The 41-Day Sabarimala Vratham

The Mandala season is the 41-day vow, or vratham, that Ayyappa devotees keep before the Sabarimala pilgrimage. It begins on the first day of the Malayalam month of Vrischikam, which falls in mid-November, and ends with the Mandala Pooja at Sabarimala in late December. For those 41 days a devotee wears a bead mala, dresses in black or blue, eats vegetarian food, gives up alcohol and smoking, stays celibate and does not cut hair or shave.

• How many days is Mandala pooja?
• What does the vratham involve?
• What is the irumudi and the kettunira?
• What are the 18 steps of Sabarimala?
• What it looks like around Kochi

How many days is Mandala pooja?

The vratham runs for 41 days, and the Mandala Pooja falls at its end. Kerala Tourism describes the Mandala Pooja as the temple's main festival, held after the 41-day fast, with the season running from 1 Vrischikam to 11 Dhanu. On the day, the Thanka Anki, a golden covering, is placed on the idol. After a short closure the temple reopens for the Makaravilakku season, whose high point comes around 14 January.

The dates move every year with the Malayalam calendar. For the 2026-27 season, these are the dates reported so far; confirm them with the Travancore Devaswom Board before you plan anything.

2026-27 season	Date (as reported)
Sanctum opens for the season	5 pm, 16 November 2026
Mandala season begins (1 Vrischikam)	17 November 2026
Mandala Pooja	27 December 2026

What does the vratham involve?

The vow begins when the devotee puts on a mala, commonly of rudraksha or tulasi beads, received from a temple priest or a Guruswami, a senior pilgrim who guides others. Kerala Tourism notes that the mala comes off only after the pilgrimage is over. From that moment the devotee is addressed as "Swami", and a woman or girl pilgrim as "Malikappuram". The usual rules:

• Black or blue clothes; Kerala Tourism says the black stands for detachment from material things.
• A vegetarian diet, with no alcohol and no smoking.
• Celibacy, and an effort to avoid anger and harsh words.
• No haircut, shave or nail trimming.
• Bathing twice a day; many devotees also walk barefoot and sleep on the floor.

The chant you hear through the season is "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa". A first-time pilgrim is called a kanni swami, and the first trip carries its own small rituals.

What is the irumudi and the kettunira?

The irumudi is the two-part cloth bundle a pilgrim carries on the head. The front part holds offerings for the temple; the back part holds the pilgrim's own provisions. At its heart is a coconut whose water has been drained and replaced with ghee. Kerala Tourism explains the symbolism as worldly pleasures replaced by spiritual thought; the ghee is poured over the idol at Sabarimala in the Neyyabhishekam.

Packing the irumudi is a ceremony in itself, the kettunira, done under the guidance of a Guruswami. Kerala Tourism places it on the eve of the journey; some pilgrims hold it at the starting temple just before setting off.

What are the 18 steps of Sabarimala?

The Pathinettampadi is the flight of 18 metal-clad steps that leads up to the shrine. Tradition links them to the 18 hills around Sabarimala, and they are also read as a path past the senses and weaknesses a pilgrim leaves behind. Only pilgrims carrying the irumudi may climb them; others use the northern entrance.

The question of who may enter at all has been in court for years. The traditional bar on women aged 10 to 50 was overturned by the Supreme Court in September 2018, the wider questions were referred to a larger bench in November 2019, and a nine-judge bench reserved its order on 14 May 2026; as of November 2026, the judgment had not been delivered. Check the latest position before relying on any summary, this one included.

What it looks like around Kochi

Once Vrischikam starts, the signs are easy to read: a colleague in a black mundu, a neighbour who has stopped shaving, a household that has gone vegetarian for six weeks. None of it needs explaining to a Malayali, but if you are new to Kochi, that is the vratham, and the polite thing is simply to work around it, not to offer the swami in your office a chicken puff.

If you are travelling yourself, our guide to getting to Sabarimala from Kochi covers the virtual queue, Nilakkal parking and the climb. The season also overlaps with Kochi's own temple calendar, including the Vrischikolsavam at Thripunithura, so expect busy roads around temple towns through November and December. More seasonal pieces sit under Lifestyle.