56-day Murajapam ritual set to begin at Padmanabhaswamy temple on Thursday; Lakshadeepam on Jan 14

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Murajapam ritual, which is held once every six years at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, will begin tomorrow. As part of the 56-day-long ritual, special Veda mandapams (platforms) will be set up in front of all four temple entrances.

Pushpanjali Swamiyar Oravankara Achyuthabharati will light the ceremonial lamp for the Veda mandapam near the East Nada at 4.30 pm on Wednesday. The aim of these mandapams is to create more awareness among devotees about the Vedas. The murajapam will begin at 4 a.m. on Thursday with Vedic recitations. The Vedas will be recited by dividing into different groups inside the temple. The chanting sessions will be held daily from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. In the evening, from 6.30 to 7 p.m., Jalajapam will be performed at the Padmatheertham pond. There will be no change in the temple’s darshan timings.

Along with the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas, the Atharva Veda has also been included in this year’s Murajapam. On the eighth day of each cycle, Mura Sheeveli will be held at 8.30 p.m., with the temple’s sthaani (custodians and heads of affairs), Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma, leading the accompanying procession. Sanyasis from the Sringeri, Udupi, Uttaradi, and Kanchipuram mutts, along with Chinna Jeeyar Swami from Hyderabad, will participate, the temple management committee said at a press conference.

Vedic scholars from Azhvancheri Thamprakkal, Tirunavaya, Thrissur Vadhyars, Kaimukku, Panthal, Kaplingad, and Cherumukku will also take part in the murajapam. A special 12-day Kalabhabhishekam will be held from December 27 to January 7, followed by the traditional Margazhi Kalabham from January 8 to 14. Uttarayana Sankranti, Makara Sheeveli, and Lakshadeepam will be celebrated on January 14. Management committee members Adityavarma, Karamana Jayan, A. Velappan Nair, and Executive Officer B. Mahesh attended the press conference.