The ceremonial procession carrying ''Thanka Anki'', the sacred golden attire to be adorned on Lord Ayyappa during the auspicious Mandala puja, reached Sabarimala temple on Friday evening. The royal head had offered the ''Anki'', weighing 420 sovereigns, to the Sabarimala deity in 1973, according to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the apex temple body which manages the shrine. Ahead of every Mandala Pooja, the ''Thanka Anki'' is taken from Aranmula to Sabarimala in a ceremonial procession. The motorised chariot, carrying the sanctified ''Thanka Anki'', is given a rousing reception with pilgrims gathering in huge numbers at various points of its transit, TDB sources added. After reachingPampa, the base camp, in the afternoon, the procession carrying the sacred attire proceededto the Sannidhanam, the temple complex, located atop the holy hill.

Source: The Hindu December 25, 2020 21:26 UTC