The famous Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala is closing on Tuesday after an unprecedented pilgrimage season that attracted nearly 53 lakh devotees. The temple doors will open again at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, followed by a special Ganapati Homam. Tradition states no other prayers will be allowed on this day. After the ritual, the chief priest, the Melsanthi, will close the sanctum sanctorum after covering the deity with sacred ash called bhasmam. The temple keys will then be handed to Punartham Narayana Varma, a representative of the Pandalam Palace. He will lead the procession carrying the temple's holy jewels, the Thiruvabharanam, back to the palace. By 7 p.m. on January 18, records showed 52,10,596 pilgrims had reached Sannidhanam, with 50,07,809 arriving via the main Pampa route and 2,02,781 via the Sathram-Pullumedu path. Over 3,000 trekked back through the forest path after darshan. This huge footfall has pushed the temple’s revenue to an estimated ₹450 crore, marking the highest-ever income in its history.