Sabarimala,
The unique feature of the Temple is that it opens to people
of all faiths and many non-hindus conduct pilgrimages to this
temple. The secular aspect of the temple is best exemplified
by the existence of the "Vavar Nada" in honour of
a Muslim saint at the close proximity to the main temple (Ayyappa
Swami Temple) at Sabarimala by the side of Holy Pathinettampady.
The pilgrims worship in this place also. The pilgrims on their
sojourn to Sabarimala worship at Erumeli Sree Dharma Sastha
Temple and conduct "Petta Thullal". They also worship
in the mosque at Erumeli as a part of their pilgrimage. Sabarimala
is a renowned pilgrim centre atop the rugged hills of the
Western Ghats. This holy shrine is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa.
The sanctum sanctoram nestles 914 m above sea level, amidst
the virgin forest wilderness of the Western Ghats. The Village
of Sabarimala is named after Shabari who did severe penance
in order to meet Rama who granted her wish for her devotion
and faith during her penance. Sabarimala Sri Dharmasastha
Temple is the most famous and prominent among all the Sastha
Temples. It is believed that "Parasurama Maharshi"
who uplifted Kerala from the sea by throwing his axe, installed
the idol of Ayyappa at Sabarimala to worship Lord Ayyappa.
The pilgrimage begins in the month of November and ends in
January. The temple attracts pilgrims not only from the southern
states of India, but also from other parts of the country
and abroad. Ayyappa cult gives much importance for the secularism
and communal harmony and has turn out to be a model for the
whole world. Another significant aspect of the pilgrimage
is that all the pilgrims whether rich or poor, learned or
illiterate holding position or not master or servant are all
equal before LORD AYYAPPA and all address each other as AYYAPPA.
The divine qualities like equality, fraternity, tolerance,
humanity etc.. are shining well in the pilgrims.
According to legend, the temple of Sabarimala and the deity
of Ayyappa have always been regarded as the Pandalam Raja’s
very own, and it is not considered proper to proceed to the
temple without the king’s knowledge and permission. To make
it easy for pilgrims to obtain the necessary permission, a
representative of the king sits even today, with all the royal
insignia, on a raised platform at the base of the Neelimala
Hill. The pilgrims offer a token amount to the royal representative,
and receive vibhuti from him. This marks the beginning of
the steepest climb of the pilgrimage, the 3 km trek up the
majestic Neelimala Hill, atop which sits Lord Ayyappa in all
his glory. The pilgrims wind their way up the difficult trail
in an unending stream, the hill reverberating with the constant
chanting of thousands. At the first sight of the Patinettampadi,
the holy eighteen steps, a full throated cry goes up from
the devotees, “Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa!” It is the realisation
of a mission. Built on a plateau about 40 feet high, the Ayyappan
temple commands a lofty view of the mountains and valleys
all around. The ancient temple has been rebuilt after a fire
in 1950, consisting of a sanctum sanctorum with a copper-plated
roof and four golden finials at the top, two mandapams, the
belikalpura which houses the altar, and the flag-staff. Replacing
the earlier stone image of the deity is a beautiful idol of
Ayyappa in panchaloha, an alloy of five metals, about one
and a half feet tall.
There are several explanations regarding the significance
of the Patinettampadi, but in all of them, the emphasis is
on the number 18. One popular belief is that the first 5 steps
signify the five indriyas or senses, the next 8 the ragas,
the next 3 the gunas, followed by vidya and avidya. Crossing
these would take the devotee closer to self-realisation. Finally,
at the eighteenth step, the devotee is at last face to face
with the image of the Lord Ayyappa, or Dharma Sasta. A circumambulation
brings him right in front of the sanctum sanctorum, and the
pilgrim is filled with a sense of accomplishment and utter
peace. But there is one more thing to be done – the ghee abhisheka,
or bathing of the idol in ghee, which marks the culmination
of the pilgrimage. The ghee-filled coconut which the pilgrim
has carried in the front section of his irumudi is broken,
and the ghee is offered to the deity. Another important abhisheka
is of vibhuti, which is also brought by the devotee in his
irumudi. To the south-west of the main temple is the shrine
of Lord Ganapati, known as Kannimula Ganapati. The special
offering to this deity is Ganapati homan; and there used to
be a large homakunda in front of the shrine, which burned
constantly, fed by the coconut shells thrown by the devotees,
after offering the ghee. As the coconut shells are consumed
by the fire, the sins of the devotees are believed to be cleansed.
Due to the growing crowds in the temple, the homakunda has
now been shifted to a location below the temple. About a 100
metres away is the shrine of Malikappurathamma. En route to
the shrine is the temple tank, Bhasma Kulam, in which hundreds
of devotees take a holy bath in memory of the tapaswini Sabari
who entered a fire to end her mortal life. It is after her
that the peak is named Sabarimala. On account of the number
of people who bathe in the tank, the water is frequently drained
out and refilled with fresh water.
Situated on a small hillock, the Malikappurathamma temple
houses the shrines of the Devi and Kaduthaswamy. Devotees
also worship a trident and lamp here, and offer coconuts.
The coconuts are not broken, however, but are just rolled
on the ground around the temple. To the left of this temple
are the shrines of the snake god and goddess, Nagaraja and
Nagayakshi. Here, tribals beat on drums, play stringed instruments
and sing sarppa pattu to protect devotees and their progeny
from the harmful effects of snakebites. At the foot of the
Patinettampadi are the two shrines of Kaduthaswamy and Karuppaswamy,
who stand like dwarapalakas or guardians of the holy steps,
to ensure that they are not polluted by those who tread on
them without fulfilling the rigid austerities required of
them. They are also believed to protect the devotees from
the evil spirits of the forests. According to legend, Kadutha
was a great warrior who helped the Pandalam king defeat the
armies of Udayanan and other enemies. When the king came to
Sabarimalai to reconstruct the temple, Kadutha came with him
to protect him. Ultimately, he became so attached to Ayyappa
that he decided to spend the rest of his days with his Lord.
Also near the Patinettampadi is the shrine of the Muslim Vavurswami.
While there are several accounts of identity of Vavur, it
is generally believed that he was a warrior who was defeated
and subdued by Ayyappa, and later became a close associate.
It is believed that Lord Ayyappa himself instructed the Pandalam
king to build a mosque for Vavur at Erumuli and a shrine at
Sabarimalai. The Vavur deity is believed to be as old as the
original deity of Ayyappa himself, and records show that the
shrine was renovated sometime in 1905. Here, the poojas are
conducted by a Muslim priest. There is no distinguishable
idol, but a carved stone slab that represents the deity. A
green silken cloth is hung across one wall, and there is also
an old sword. The special offering here is green pepper. Many
devotees also bring a goat to offer to Vavurswami, mainly
in the belief that pilgrims accompanied by a goat will reach
the temple safely. These goats are later auctioned by the
temple authorities. The layout of the Ayyappa temple is believed
to have originated from the specific instructions of the Lord
himself, who wanted Malikappurathamma, on his left a few yards
from Sannidhanam, and his trusted lieutenants Vavur and Kadutha
to be positioned as his guards at the foot of the holy 18
steps.
On reaching the Sannidhanam the Melshanthi and Thandhri receive
the sacred jewels amidst of thundering echoes of Sarana ghosham.
The Thiruvabaranam box contains a diamond crown, golden bracelets,
necklaces and a sword. The priests adorn the Lord with these
and perform arathi. At the same moment a brilliant light of
amazing magnificence appears in the northeastern side to the
temple at opposite mountain in a place called Kantamala (the
home of devas and rishis). It is believed that this brilliant
flame of light is the arathi performed by the rishis and the
devas. This event marks the culmination of the pilgrimage
to Sabarimala. The most anticipated event at Sabarimala is
the Makara Jothi (usually on January 14th). Thiruvabaranam
or the sacred jewels of the Lord (presented by Padalam King)
arrives at Sabarimala in three boxes. On the arrival of the
jewel boxes the whole mountain reverberates to the chanting
of 'Saranam Ayyappa' by millions of devotees gathered there
to watch the event. The Thiruvabaranam box - still the private
property of the Pandalam royal family, starts it journey two
days before Makara Jothi day from Pandalam. The person who
carries the box dances in a trance that can be believed only
by who witnesses it. Thiruvabaranam travels through Valiakoikkal
Sastha temple at Pandalam, Ayiroor Puthia Kavu Temple, Perunattil
temple, Vlakkai, Nilaikkal Siva temple, Vellachimala, Pamba
and Sabari Peedam before reaching at Sannidhanam around 6.00
PM on the Makara Jothi day. Every year a Garuda hovers and
flies above the Thiruvabaranam boxes as if to guard them.
