Pathanamthitta: The annual ceremonial procession, carrying the sacred ‘Thanka Anki’ (golden attire) of Lord Ayyappa for the Mandala Puja, set off to the Sabarimala temple from Aranumla Parthasarathy temple on Wednesday. The attire was taken out on a motorised chariot amid ‘swamiye saranam Ayyappa’ chants by devotees.
After accepting reception by devotees at various temples en route, the procession will reach Sabarimala on December 25 evening, where the temple management representatives will accord it a grand welcome. The idol of the presiding deity will be adorned with the sacred jewels in the evening prior to the ‘arathi’ at Sabarimala temple. The auspicious Mandala Puja will be held in Sabarimala on December 26, marking the culmination of the first leg of the annual pilgrimage season.
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The Thanka Anki, weighing 453 sovereigns, was offered to the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple by the late Chithira Tirunal Balarama Varma of the erstwhile Travancore in 1973. The attire is kept at the Aranmula Parthasarathy temple and is taken to the hill shrine during the Mandala pilgrimage season.
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