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Description:
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.
The
shrine gets thronged with devotees especially during the main
pilgrim season from November to January.
Mandalapooja(Nov.17th)and
Makaravilakku(Jan.14th)are the two main events of the pilgrim
season. The temple stays closed during the rest of the year except
for the first five days of every Malayalam month and during Vishu
(April).
Certain
customs are to be strictly observed if one has to undertake a
pilgrimage to Sabarimala. A pilgrim attending the Mandalapooja
should observe austerities for 41 days. During this period, the
pilgrim should abstain himself from non- vegetarian habits and
cardinal pleasures.
Pilgrims
set out in groups under a leader, and each carry a cloth bundle
called Irumudi kettu containing traditional offerings. Unlike
certain Hindu temples, Sabarimala temple has no restrictions
of caste or creed. The temple is open to males of all age groups
and to women who have either passed their fertility age and those
before reaching the stage of puberty.
Sabarimala
is a renowned pilgrim centre atop the rugged hills of the Western
Ghats. This holy shrine is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa.
The
sanctum sanctorum nestles 914 m above sea level, amidst the virgin
forest wilderness of the Western Ghats.The main pilgrimage is
undertaken between November and January. Regardless of caste,
creed, colour, they wear black dhotis and carry on their heads,
bundles containing traditional offerings like coconut filled
with ghee, camphor and rice.
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. The pilgrims worship in this place also.
This exemplifies the unique feature of the temple. The temple
is open to all faiths. The divine qualities like equality, fraternity,
tolerance, humanity etc.. are shining well in the pilgrims.
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
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.
According
to legend, the temple of Sabarimala and the deity of Ayyappa
have always been regarded as the Pandalam Raja's very own. So
permission from the King has to be attained before proceeding
to the temple. To make it easy for pilgrims to obtain the necessary
permission, a representative of the king sits with all the royal
insignia, on a raised platform at the base of the Neelimala Hill.
The pilgrims offer a token amount (not necessary) 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.
The
shrine of Lord Ganapati: 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.
Homakunda:
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 gets 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.
Bhasma
Kulam: 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.
Malikappurathamma:
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 .
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.
Shrines
of Kaduthaswamy and Karuppaswamy: 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 Erumeli and a shrine at Sabarimalai.
Renovations Done:
Golden
18 Steps: The original granite steps were badly damaged due to
continuous breaking of coconuts on the steps by pilgrims climbing
the steps. The Devasom Board with the approval of Lord Ayyappan
through a devaprasanam, covered the steps with panchaloka. The
work was completed by 15th November 1985. Later on these steps
were covered with gold.
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