Makarasankranti, or Makaravillaku, is a period that coincides with approximately 13–14 January, and is considered important for devotees of

Lord Ayyappan Ayyappan an incarnation of dharma sastha, also called Manikandan, is a Hindu deity popular in Southern India, He is considered to be the epitome of dharma, truth, and righteousness and is often called upon to obliterate evil. Although devotion t ...

. During the season (late November to early January), Ayyappan devotees are able to visit

Sabarimala The Sabarimala Temple (; ml, ശബരിമല ക്ഷേത്രം) is a temple complex located at Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Perinad Village, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. It is one of the largest ...

every day. At the end of this period, on

Makaravilakku Makaravilakku is an annual festival held on Makara Sankranti in Kerala, India at the shrine of Sabarimala. The festival includes the Thiruvabharanam (sacred ornaments of Lord Ayyappan) procession and a congregation at the hill shrine of Sabari ...

day (usually 13 or 14 January), several events take place, in which an

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

guards the temple and the '' thiruvabaranam'' (Lord's jewels) by continually circling it for days on end, even amidst the congestion. During the night there is not a star in the sky, apart from one star, the Makaranakshatram, which devotees believe is the abode of the gods in heaven awaiting the final ceremony at the

temple. After the Lord's jewels have been placed on the idol, the eagle flies away, the single star in the sky disappears, and an intense white light ( Makarajyoti) is seen on the hillside of

in the distance, which devotees believe to be the Lord himself appearing. Thousands each year come to Sabarimala to witness the event. There have been no scientific studies attempting to validate this phenomenon.{{Fact, date=February 2007

See also