Makara Jyothi is the celestial star

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word (Latin script: ), meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbr ...

that can be seen above the secret fire lit event of

Makaravilakku Makaravilakku is a fire lit by the Travancore Devaswom Board secretly on the Makara Jyothi day for 3 times at ponnambalamedu with the help of Forest department, KSEB, Kerala police and other agencies of Government of Kerala. It can be see ...

conducted by Travancore Devasom Board at ponnambalamedu near Sabarimala Temple in

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

on Makara Sankranti every year with the help of Forest department, KSEB and

Kerala police The Kerala Police is the law enforcement agency for the Indian state of Kerala. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The motto of the force is "Mridhu Bhave Dhrida Kruthye" which means "Soft in Temperament, ...

and other agencies of

Government of Kerala The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...

. When the fire is lit for 3 times by the

Travancore Devaswom Board Travancore Devaswom Board is statutory and autonomous body managing around 1252 temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the ...

Team, the Sirus can be seen directly above it when viewed from

Sabarimala The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple () is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Ayyappan, who is also known as Dharma Shasta and is the son of the deities Shiva and Mohini (female avatar of the god Vishnu). The temple is situated atop th ...

. Raman Nair, who headed the Devaswom Board under the Congress government said “It’s the police and officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board who would jointly light the fire at Ponnambalamedu on the orders of the state government.”

Etymology

''Makara'' () is the name of a zodiac sign in Indian languages known as Capricorn in English. ''Jyoti'' means "light" in Sanskrit.

Popularity of the ritual

The huge crowd of pilgrims that witnesses the event has increased every year. It is believed that 1.5 million devotees witnessed ''Makara Jyoti'' in 2010. The revenue collection during the Makaravilakku period was also higher compared to previous years. The total donations were Rs.720 million in 2008 against previous year’s Rs.723 million.

Sabarimala stampedes and authenticity debate

In 1999 and 2011, two major human stampedes occurred on 14 January at Sabarimala, killing 53 and 106 people, respectively. In 1999 the Justice T Chandrasekhara Menon committee that investigated the stampede refrained from going into the details of authenticity of Makara Jyothi. It stated that Makara Jyothi is a matter of belief and could not be investigated. Justice Chanadrasekhara Menon had probed the veracity of Makara Jyoti during that time. He also appointed an advocate of the commission to witness it. The 2011 stampede occurred during an annual pilgrimage, killing 102 pilgrims and injuring more than 100. Amid a renewed debate after this stampede, Kerala High Court wanted to know whether or not Makara Jyoti is a man-made phenomenon, asking about the authenticity of the hallowed celestial light visible from Sabarimala. "A distinction has to be made between the Makaravilakku and Makara Jyothi. The Jyothi is a celestial star. Makarvilakku is lit y people" said the head of the Thazamon Thanthri family, Kantararu Maheswararu. After this the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) said that it was known to most believers that it was a man lit-fire, but there was a Hindu belief behind it. "It is known to everybody that Makara Vilakku is a fire lit up by men at Ponnabalamedu and TDB also recognises this. But Makara Jyothi is a celestial star", TDB President M Rajagoplan Nair told reporters on 31 January 2011.

References

External links

Official website of Travancore Devaswom Board

Clarification of the matter by Minister

Minister G.Sudhakaran on Makara Vilakku / Makara Jyothi
{{HinduFestivals Fire deities Hindu festivals in Kerala Festivals in Pathanamthitta district