Thousands of people thronged the town of Pandalam on Monday to witness the annual ceremonial Thiruvabharanam procession carrying the sacred jewellery from the Pandalam ValiyakoickalA Sastha temple to Sabarimala for the Makaravilakku festival.
The Thiruvabharanam was shifted from the strong room of Srambickal Palace to the adjoining Valiyakoickal temple at 4.30 a.m. for the devotees to have darshan. The sacred jewellery were put in three wooden boxes to be taken to Sabarimala by a 22-member team headed by Kulathinal Gangadharan Pillai. The temple head priest performed special rituals at the Sastha temple.
A Neeranjanam Aarati was performed by12.50 p.m. The entire atmosphere was charged with the devotion and the Ayyappa Saranam chants rented the air.
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The eldest male member of the Pandalam royal family, Revathinaal P. Ramavarma Raja, handed over the ceremonial sword to the royal representative, Makayiramnaal Kerala Varma Raja, who is escorting the sacred jewellery.
The palace representative was taken in a palanquin to the Kaippuzha palace ahead of the start of the procession.
Devotees accorded receptions to the procession at different places before it reached the Puthiyakavu Devi temple at Ayroor. The procession will resume journey on Tuesday and will halt at the Laha Sathram, near Plappally, on the Mannarakulanji-Chalakkayam main trunk road leading to Sabarimala at night.
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The procession will reach Valiyanavattom, near Pampa, on Wednesday and the royal representative will stay back at Pampa for the next two days. Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) authorities and Ayyappa Seva Sanghom volunteers will accord a reception to the procession at the Sannidhanam by 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Tantri Kandararu Rajeevararu, assisted by Melsanthi E.N. Krishnadas Namboodiri, will adorn deity with the jewellery prior to the ‘deeparadhana’ between 6.30 p.m. and 6.45 p.m.
Another ritualistic ‘deeparadhana’ be held at Ponnambalamedu, a hill facing Sabarimala.
Subhash Vasu, P.K. Kumaran, TDB Members; P. Venugopal, Devaswom Commissioner; Chittayam Gopakumar, MLA; Pandalam Sudhakaran, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary; S. Harikishore, District Collector, A. Srinivas, District Police Chief; and D. Vijayakumar, Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sanghom vice-president; were present at the starting point of the procession.