Renowned singer K J Yesudas was honored with special prayers at the sacred Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala, organized by the Travancore Devaswom Board on his ‘pirannal’ (birthday according to the Malayalam calendar). The celebration took place as the temple doors opened for pooja on the auspicious day of Uthradam.
On this occasion, priests performed Ganapatihomam, Neyyabhishekam, Sahasranamarchana, and other special rituals to commemorate the legendary singer. Yesudas, whose birth star is Uthradam, is currently in the US, and arrangements have been made to send the prasad of the offerings to him.
The TDB, responsible for managing the Sabarimala Temple, highlighted Yesudas’s deep devotion to Lord Ayyappa, as he was a regular visitor to the shrine before relocating to the US. The singer, known as Ganagandharva, has contributed significantly to Ayyappa devotional songs, including the iconic “Harivarasanam.”
The Lord Ayyappa Suprabhath, performed in the morning to awaken the deity, and the Harivarasanam, sung by Yesudas to lull the deity to sleep, are integral parts of the temple’s traditions. Yesudas was the inaugural recipient of the Harivarasana Puraskaram, an award jointly instituted by the state government and the Devaswom Board.
Acknowledged as one of the country’s greatest playback singers, Yesudas began his music career in 1961 with the Malayalam song “Jathi bhedam matha dwesham” and went on to sing in various languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and more. His influence extends beyond film music, making him a celebrated figure in the realm of Indian music.