The mandala pooja, a key ritual marking the conclusion of the first phase of the annual pilgrimage to the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple, will take place on December 26.
The ritual will be carried out between noon and 12.30 pm on the day by temple tantri (head priest) Kandararu Rajeevaru, Travancore Devaswom Board president P S Prasanth said in a press conference in Kottayam on Tuesday.
The ceremonial "thanka anki" procession, commenced from the Aranmula Parthasarathi Temple in Pathanamthitta on Sunday, would reach Pamba by Wednesday afternoon, he said. The procession will first be welcomed by Devaswom minister VN Vasavan at Pamba, and then received by the TDB president and members at the Sannidhanam (temple complex) in the evening.
Later, the "thanka anki," the sacred attire, would be draped on the idol of the presiding deity before the 'aarathi.'
After the mandala pooja and the "neyyabhishekam," the portals of the Lord Ayyappa temple would be closed by 11 pm on December 26, marking the culmination of the first leg of the annual pilgrimage, he said. -- PTI