On their way to Sabarimala, pilgrims offer prayers at the Valiyakoyikal temple, the family shrine of the royal household, built in a pattern that is similar to the Sabarimala temple, on the banks of the Achankovil river. It is customary to take the ornaments that Lord Ayyappan is bedecked in, from Pandalam Palace to Sabarimala, three days prior to the Makara Vilaku festival, in a procession every year. Over time, as India was declared an independent country and Kerala formed as a state, the administrative powers of the temple were transferred to the Travancore Devaswom Board.
