 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. 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. 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.
 THE GLORIOUS SANNIDHANAM
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.
THE GREAT MAKARA JYOTHI
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.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. |
