5 months ago
1
As preparations for the Mandala Puja astatine Sabarimala gathers momentum, the ceremonial procession carrying the aureate attire, ‘Thanka Anki’, acceptable disconnected from the Sree Parthasarathy Temple astatine Aranmula on Tuesday.
The procession, connected a motorised chariot, volition beryllium accorded rousing receptions astatine antithetic points en way earlier it reaches Pampa connected Friday . The main deity astatine the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple volition beryllium adorned with the attire anterior to the Mandala Puja the adjacent time morning. As the procession moved on the accepted route, devotees gathered astatine assorted points to connection prayers and drawback a glimpse of the ineffable attire. Elaborate information arrangements person been enactment successful spot passim the travel to the elevation shrine.
The temple tantri and the melsanthi volition jointly person the aureate attire and adorn it connected the idol of Lord Ayyappa aboriginal that evening. The Mandala puja, with the deity adorned successful the ‘Thanka anki’, volition beryllium performed connected the day of December 27.
The ritual marks the culmination of the archetypal signifier of the astir two-month-long yearly pilgrimage play astatine Sabarimala. The temple volition beryllium closed for 2 days aboriginal connected the aforesaid time and volition beryllium reopened connected December 30 for the Makarvilakku festival that begins the adjacent day.
The ‘Thanka Anki’, weighing 420 sovereigns, was offered to the Sabarimala temple by the precocious Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma of the royal household of erstwhile Travancore successful 1973.
Meanwhile, the elevation shrine is witnessing a monolithic influx of devotees successful the run-up to the Mandala Puja, with queues from Sannidhanam often stretching each the mode to Sharamkuthy. According to estimates, implicit 1.05 lakh devotees visited the temple connected Monday, with astir a akin footfall recorded connected Tuesday. The full fig of devotees visiting the temple truthful acold this play has present touched 33 lakh.
In presumption of the Mandala Pooja, restrictions person been imposed connected virtual queue bookings and spot bookings astatine the elevation shrine . On December 26, the time erstwhile the Thanka Anki procession reaches Sannidhanam, lone 30,000 pilgrims volition beryllium allowed done the virtual queue portion the fig volition beryllium capped astatine 35,000 for the adjacent day. On some days, spot bookings person been constricted to 2,000 pilgrims each.
Special assemblage absorption arrangements volition besides beryllium successful spot connected the time the Thanka Anki procession arrives astatine Sannidhanam. As portion of the arrangements, pilgrims volition not beryllium allowed to proceed to Sannidhanam from Nilakkal aft 9 a.m. and from Pampa aft 10 a.m. connected December 26. The question of pilgrims from Pampa volition beryllium resumed lone aft the procession reaches Sharamkuthy
