In the sacred precincts of the Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) organised special prayers for legendary singer K.J. Yesudas who celebrated his birthday as per the Malayalam calendar on Friday. Yesudas’s birth star is Uthradam (Uttara Ashadha).
As the doors of the temple opened for the puja, priests conducted Ganapatihomam. Neyyabhishekam and Sahasranamarchana, among other special offerings, were also performed for the singer.
In a statement, the TDB, which manages the hill temple, said arrangements had been made to send the prasadam of the offerings to Yesudas, who is currently in the U.S.
Yesudas is an ardent devotee of Lord Ayyappa and had been a regular visitor to the Sabarimala temple before shifting to the US.
The legendary Carnatic music vocalist and playback singer has sung several revered Ayyappa devotional songs, including the iconic Harivarasanam. He was the first recipient of the Harivarasana Puraskaram, an award jointly instituted by the State government and the TDB.