‘Thanka anki’ procession begins, set to reach Sabarimala on December 26

Pathanamthitta: The ceremonial procession carrying the ‘Thanka anki’, the golden attire to be adorned on Lord Ayyappa for the Mandala puja, commenced from the Aranmula Parthasarathy temple on Tuesday.

The procession, with the golden attire placed on a richly decorated chariot, is being accompanied by a large number of devotees and officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the Sabarimala shrine.

As the procession moved along the traditional route, devotees gathered at various points to offer prayers and catch a glimpse of the sacred attire. Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place throughout the journey to the hill shrine.

The ‘Thanka anki’ will be accorded ceremonial receptions at several temples en route before reaching Sabarimala. Weighing 453 sovereigns, the golden attire was gifted to Lord Ayyappa by the Travancore royal family in the 1970s.

According to Travancore Devaswom Board officials, the procession is scheduled to reach the sannidhanam on December 26, ahead of the evening deeparadhana. The temple tantri and the melsanthi will jointly receive the golden attire and adorn it on the idol of Lord Ayyappa later that evening.

The Mandala puja, with the deity adorned in the ‘Thanka anki’, will be performed on the afternoon of December 27. The ritual marks the culmination of the first phase of the nearly two-month-long annual pilgrimage season at Sabarimala.