The ritualistic Petta Thullal dance, marking the last leg of the annual Sabarimala pilgrimage, took place with great fanfare at Erumely on Sunday. Devotees from Ambalappuzha and Alangad performed the ceremonial mass dance as thousands thronged the temple town to witness this unique celebration of communal harmony. The Ambalappuzha team started the dance by noon after spotting a Brahminy kite in the sky. Led by Samooha Periyon N. Gopalakrishna Pillai and accompanied by three elephants, they danced through Erumely’s streets and received a warm welcome at the Nainar mosque from the Erumely Mahallu Muslim Jama-at. After circling the mosque, the group moved to the Sree Dharma Sastha temple, dancing alongside T.H. Asad of the Thazhath House, who represented Vavar. The Alangad group, led by Ambadath Pradeep R. Menon, began their dance around 3:30 pm and was greeted in front of the Sree Dharma Sastha temple. To ensure safety amid rising pilgrim numbers, authorities deployed an extra 200 police personnel for security and traffic control in Erumely. Festivities had started on Friday evening with the Chandanakkudam festival at the Nainar mosque. Meanwhile, the sacred Thiruvabharanam procession from Pandalam to Sabarimala Sannidhanam is set to begin Monday, continuing the pilgrimage traditions.