Thanka Anki ritual: Sabarimala in divine fervour, Mandala Pooja today

SABARIMALA: Announcing the culmination of the Mandala pilgrimage season, Mandala Pooja will be held between 10.10 and 11.30 am today at the Sabarimala temple. On Friday, Lord Ayyappa was adorned with sacred golden ornaments (the "Thanka Anki") for the evening prayers. The Thanka Anki procession, which left from the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple on the 23rd, reached Pamba at 1.30 pm on Friday. Minister V.N. Vasavan and District Collector S. Premkrishnan received the procession. The Thanka Anki was opened for devotees to have darshan at the Ganapathi temple.

At 3 pm, the Thanka Anki ornaments were locked in a special casket, and nine Guruswamis carried it on their heads and walked towards Sannidhanam. The procession, which reached the flagpole after climbing the holy 18 steps, was received by Devaswom Board President K. Jayakumar, members Adv. K. Raju, Adv. PD Santosh Kumar, Sabarimala Special Commissioner R. Jayakrishnan, ADM Arun S. Nair, ADGPS S. Sreejith and others.

Tantri Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru and Melshanthi E.D. Prasad Namboothiri received the casket and took it inside the sanctum sanctorum. Seeing the Ayyappa idol adorned in the ornaments was a blissful yet divine moment for the thousands of devotees at the sanctum sanctorum.

Only 30,000 people were allowed to have darshan yesterday through virtual queue booking in connection with the Thanka Anki procession. 5,000 people were allowed to have darshan through spot booking. Today, 35,000 people can have darshan through virtual queue booking. Spot booking has been fixed at 2,000. Devotees will be able to have darshan of Ayyappa wearing a Thanka Anki until the evening prayers tonight. After today’s evening prayers, the Thanka Anki will be removed from the Ayyappa idol. After the Pushpa Abhishekam and night prayers, the temple will close at 11 pm. Temple will reopen on the 30th for the Makaravilakku festival.