The New Indian Express ·
The keeper of Sabarimala’s Thiruvabharanam routes
PATHANAMTHITTA: Kulathinal Gangadharan Pillai, 92, Guruswamy of the Thiruvabharanam Petaka Vahaka Sangham, who was associated with the annual Thiruvabharanam procession from Pandalam to Sabarimala for nearly seven decades, died on Friday.
A native of Pandalam, Pillai first accompanied his father Komattu Narayana Pillai, who was a Guruswamy of the Thiruvabharanam carrier team, on the procession when he was 18. He continued the pilgrimage for 68 years without a break, carrying the sacred ornaments from Pandalam to Sabarimala.
Though he had stopped accompanying the procession in recent years, Pillai continued to play a role in the tradition. He was responsible for bringing the Thiruvabharanam chest from the Pandalam Palace to the temple ahead of the annual procession.