As preparations for the Mandala Puja at Sabarimala has gathered momentum, the ceremonial procession carrying the golden attire, ‘Thanka Anki’, set off from the Sree Parthasarathy Temple at Aranmula on Saturday.
The procession, on a motorised chariot, will be accorded rousing receptions at different points en route before it reaches Pampa on Tuesday. The main deity at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple will be adorned with the attire prior to the Mandala Puja the next day morning.
Closed for 2 days
The temple will be closed for two days later on the same day, marking the culmination of the 41-day Mandalam festival. It will be reopened on December 30 for the Makarvilakku festival that begins the next day.
The ‘Thanka Anki’, weighing 420 sovereigns, was offered to the Sabarimala temple by the late Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma of the erstwhile Travancore royal kingdom in 1973.
Security intensified
Meanwhile, the police have intensified security arrangements in the Sabarimala pilgrimage zone ahead of the Madala Puja. As many as 10 divisions of police under 10 deputy superintendents have been deployed. 76 CCTV cameras have been installed from Chalakkayam to Pandithavalam, besides 22 metal detectors and thermal imaging cameras. A 34-member bomb squad too has been deployed in the area.
Alongside the State police, 127 members of Central Reserve Police Force, 60 members of National Disaster Response Force and a 13 member -strong squad of commandos too have been deployed for additional security here.
Free meals
An official statement said the Travancore Devaswom Board has so far served free meals to over 6.75 lakh devotees who visited the hill temple this season.
According to S. Anuraj, officer in-charge of the programme, just over 20,000 devotees are being fed at the Sannidhanam on a daily basis. The board has received donations worth ₹1.52 crore towards the free meal programme at Sabarimala. The agency is offering free meals to the Sabarimala devotees at Nilackal and Pandalam as well.
