SABARIMALA: The customary Erumeli Pettathullal ceremony, one of the important rituals of the
annual Sabarimala pilgrimage, was held at the Erumeli Sree Dharma Sastha temple on Monday in the presence of several hundred devotees.Pettathullal, the sacred dance celebrating the victory of Lord Ayyappa over demon Mahishi as per legend, was performed by the traditional Ambalapuzha and Alangattu teams. Number of members have been capped at 50 as part of Covid protocol.
The Ambalapuzha team led by 90-year-old periyor Chandrasekharan Nair, began the ritual from Erumeli Pettah Sree Sastha temple after colouring their faces. The team took out the procession after witnessing the ‘Krishnaparunthu’.
Accompanied by caparisoned elephants and percussion artists, the Pettatthullal team wound its way to the Erumeli Lord Dharma Sastha temple after circumambulating the Erumley Nayanar mosque. Travancore Devaswom Board president N Vasu and members K S Ravi and T G Thankappan accorded a traditional reception to the team when it reached the Erumeli Lord Dharma Sastha temple. The Ambalapuzha team wrapped up the performance by offering worship in front of the Erumeli Sree Dharma Sastha temple after circumambulating the nalambalam.
Led by Vijayakumar, the Alangattu team began the ritual at 2pm after witnessing the ‘star’ in the sky. With sandalwood paste smeared across the forehead, the team sparked considerable interest among devotees who lined both sides of the 1-km stretch from Pettah temple to Erumeli Sree Dharma Sastha temple.
Dancing to the beats of temple percussion instruments, the team concluded the ritual by offering prayers in front of the Erumeli Sree Dharma Sastha temple after circumambulating the nalambalam at 4pm. Both the Ambalapuzha and Alangattu teams will conclude the customary ritual after offering worship at Lord Ayya-ppa temple here on January 13 after a two-day trek through the traditional Azhutha-Karimala forest path.
Thiruvabharanam procession to leave Pandalam today
Sabarimala: The three-day procession carrying Thiruvabharanam, the golden attire to be adorned on the idol of Lord Ayyappa during Makaravilakku ceremony on January 14, will leave Pandalam Valiyakoickal Sree Dharma Sastha temple on Tuesday. Restrictions were imposed under Covid protocol, including mandatory RT-PCR certificates for those who accompany the procession. As part of the restrictions, the Thiruvabharanam boxes will not be opened for the devotees at the temples on the procession route up to Lord Ayyappa temple.
The procession carrying the three Thiruvabharanam boxes on head will leave the Pandalam temple at 12.30pm after witnessing ‘Krishnaparunthu’ in the sky.Traditional reception will be accorded at the temples where the Thiruvabharanam procession halts. After the three-day journey the procession will reach Lord Ayyappa temple at 6.15pm, whereThantri Kandararu Rajivaru will receive the Thiruvabharanam.