Pandalam (Kerala): “I carried the responsible load entrusted to me by Lord Ayyappa for as long as I could. Now, I can rest.” These words sum up the quiet fulfilment of Guruswami Kulathinalil Gangadharan Pillai, who has stepped down from his sacred duty after carrying the Thiruvabharanam, the holy ornaments of Lord Ayyappa, to the Sabarimala shrine for nearly seven decades.

After turning 90, Guruswami has decided to hand over the responsibility to the next generation, citing his advanced age. In recognition of his lifelong service, the Pandalam Palace organised a farewell ceremony, marking the end of an extraordinary spiritual journey rooted in discipline, devotion and tradition.

Guruswami says his life has been inseparable from the Ayyappa mission. He began the sacred journey at the age of 18 alongside his father, Kulathinalil Narayana Pillai, as a member of the Thiruvabharanam Petaka Vahaka Sangham, the group that carries Thiruvabharanam ornaments. Since then, the pilgrimage has continued uninterrupted, strengthened by fasting, prayer and unwavering faith.

He recalls that devotion gave him the physical and mental strength to overcome the fatigue of age. “The Sharanamantram (chants) was the medicine given by Ayyappa,” he says, helping him endure the scorching heat and cold of the Malayalam month of Dhanu during the arduous journey.

Gangadharan Pillai assumed the role of Guruswami two decades ago following the demise of Kochuthundil Bhaskaran Pillai, who previously held the position. Since then, he has regarded it as a divine blessing to carry the Lord’s ornaments from Pandalam to Sabarimala and back, strictly adhering to age-old rituals and customs.

As Guruswami, he became the guiding force of the group that undertakes the 83-kilometre-long sacred trek, carrying the Thiruvabharanam boxes on their heads and shoulders. It is the Guruswami who ceremonially carries the Thiruvabharanam on his head at the start of the procession from the Valiakoikkal Dharmashasta Temple in Pandalam and leads it to the Sabarimala Sannidhanam.

With his departure from active duty, devotees and fellow pilgrims view Guruswami Gangadharan Pillai not merely as a bearer of sacred ornaments, but as a living symbol of devotion, endurance and service in the long spiritual tradition associated with Lord Ayyappa and the Sabarimala pilgrimage.