Thiruvananthapuram:  The Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, where the two-month-long annual pilgrim season is underway, will remain closed for four hours on Dec. 26 due to solar eclipse. 

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the top temple body which manages the hill shrine, said yesterday that the sanctum sanctorum would be closed between 7.30 am and 11.30 am on that day.

The solar eclipse is from 8.06 am to 11.13 am on Dec. 26. The temple would be closed after the customary daily rituals and pujas including “Neyyabhishekam” and would be reopened after “Punyaha’’, the purification ritual post the eclipse, Temple Executive Officer said in a statement.

Sabarimala ‘tantri’ (head priest) Mahesh Mohanaru had informed the Executive Officer that the opening of the shrine during the eclipse hours was not appropriate, it said.

The other TDB-run temples including the Malikappuram and Pamba shrines would also be closed during the time of solar eclipse, the statement added. Meanwhile, the Sabarimala shrine, where the annual Mandalam Makaravilakku pilgrimage began on Nov. 17, is witnessing heavy rush of devotees.