After a long gap, the ceremonial procession from Pandalam carrying Thiruvabharanam, sacred jewellery, for the Makaravilakku festival at Sabarimala will take its 83-km traditional path this year, the Travancore Devaswom Board says.
A decision to this effect was taken at a joint meeting of the Board authorities and those of the Thiruvabharanam Path Protection Council and the Pandalam Palace Managing Committee on Saturday.
The council has been on a campaign to clear encroachments on the traditional path and restore it. As per schedule, the procession, escorted by a representative of the Pandalam Palace, will set off from the Valiyakoickal Sastha temple at 1.30 p.m. on January 12.
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The entourage will reach the Ayroor Puthiyakavu Devi temple the same evening via Kaippuzha, Kulanada, Ullannoor, Parayankara, Kuriyanipallay, Kooduvettickal, Kavumpady, Kidangannur and Aranmula.
The procession will resume its journey from Ayroor on January 13 morning to reach Laha, via Peroorchal, Keekozhoor, Aayickal, Pulickamoozhy, Kuthukallinpady, Mandiram, Edakkulam, Vadaserikkara, Madamon, Perinad and Puthukkada, by evening.
The procession will set off to Sabarimala the next morning. The Thiruvabharanam will be brought to the Sabarimala Sannidhanam via Plappally, Elavumkal, Nilackal, Attathode, Kollamoozhy, Vellachimala, Aettappetty, Oliyampuzha, Valiayanavattom, Cheriyanavattom, Neelimala, Appachimedu and Saramkuthi, by 6.20 p.m. on January 14.
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M.P. Govindan Nair, Board president, presided over the meting. P.K. Kumaran, Board member; P.R. Balachandran, Board secretary; Prasad Kuzhikkala, V.K. Rajagopal and K. Haridas of the council; and Sasi Varma Raja and Rajaraja Varma of the palace management committee attended the meeting.