The ‘Thanka Anki’ is the sacred gold attire worn by Sree Ayyappa during the Mandala Pooja. The late Chitra Tirunal Balarama Varma of Travancore dynasty offered the ‘Anki’ weighing 420 sovereigns, to Sabarimala Ayyappan in 1973.
The ‘Thanka Anki’ is stored at the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple – one of the prominent temples dedicated to Krishna in Kerala.
Ahead of Mandala Pooja, the ‘Thanka Anki’ is taken for Aranmula to Sabarimala with a ceremonial procession, a practice that introduced by the Travancore Devasom Board.
The motorised chariot bearing the sanctified ‘Thanka Anki’ is given a rousing reception with pilgrims gathering in huge numbers at the various points of its transit in Omalloor, Konni and Perunadu.
