Swami Ayyappa Sabarimala Temple - Kerala
Unique feature of this temple is that it is open for worship only during the days of Mandala pooja (A Mandala is a period of approximately 40 days in which time the human system completes one physiological cycle), Makaravilakku (The day on which Parasuram has carved the idol of Swami Ayyappa while King Rajasekhara built the shrine for the swamy i.e. Makara Sankranthi day), Vishu (Malayalam New Year), and also during the first day of every Malayalam month.
Sabarimala temple is also called as Sree Dharma Sastha temple, which is the most famous and prominent among the Sastha temples in Kerala.
To visit the temple, pilgrims adorn mala (beaded chain made of wood, which is given by Guruswamy) of Swamy Ayyappa and observe celibacy for a period of 41 days. They go to the temple in a group (headed by Guruswamy), along with irumudi ( Raw Rice along with coconuts filled with ghee) on their head to be offered to Swamy Ayyappa. Eventually, they visit Swamy's temple at Erumely and from there they take traditional forest route to reach Pamba nadhi (river). Here, they take holy dip and start to ascend the hills to reach Sabarimala, where they take 18 steps ( Padhinettambadi) to reach the shrine of Swamy Ayyappa. Until they seek the darshan of the Swamy, they will keep their irumudi on their heads. During the journey to Sabarimala, each pilgrim's irumudi has to be taken down from their head only by their Guruswamy. Guruswamy is the person in the group of pilgrims, who is entitled to lead the group and assist them in poojas throughout the journey to Sabarimala and also during the Mandala period. Moreover, the dress worn by the pilgrims during the Mandala period and throughout the journey to Sabarimala is black shirt and black lungi. This dress code is being followed to avoid any attacks from the wild animals while on the way to Sabarimala at night times since it is forest route and pilgrims go by walk. Eventually, by adorning Ayyappa mala and wearing black dress (shirt and lungi), they become peaceful while experiencing the spiritual awakening and always chant the songs of Swamy Ayyappa.
Any pilgrim who visits the Sabarimala temple for the first time is called as Kanni Swamy. Kanni Swamy should mark their arrival by placing an arrow at Sharam Kuthi (The place where Swamy Ayyappa discarded his weapons after defeating Mahishi - Sister of Mahishasura).
Ancient Story behind the Sabarimala Temple
Earlier during the reign of Pandya Dynasty, its members were ousted by Thirumal Naicker - the ruler of the erstwhile Pandya Empire. They lived in places like Valliyur, Tenkasi, Shengottai, Achankovil and Sivagiri. They had also established their supremacy in parts of Travancore, and some of them belonging to Chempazhanattu Kovil in Sivagiri were given the right to rule the country of Pandalam by the King of Travancore. King Rajasekhara, who is the foster father of Swamy Ayyappa; belonged to this dynasty, hence they are called as Pandalam dynasty rulers.
The King was always held in high esteem by his followers and subjects. Under him, the region was witnessing a golden age, however the King had one grief - he was childless and thus had no one to inherit his kingdom. Both the king and his queen prayed ceaselessly to Lord Shiva for a child.
Around the sametime, an asura named Mahishasura took a severe penance in devotion towards Lord Brahma, who in turn gave him a boon that nobody on earth can annihilate him. Having such a boon, Mahishasura created havoc, chaos in trilokas (bhuloka, yamaloka and devaloka). Terrorized and panicked, people migrated to distant lands. Devas realized that a superhuman power only could exterminate Mahishasura, hence they approached Goddess Durga, who killed him in a bloody battle.
To avenge the death of her brother Mahishasura, his sister Mahishi took a deep penance in devotion towards Lord Brahma, who gave her boon that she could be killed only by the child of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. In due course of time, Mahishi has created terror in trilokas, due to which devas approached Lord Vishnu for the solution. Knowing about the boon of Mahishi, Lord Vishnu transformed into Mohini avatar and with the union of Mohini with Lord Shiva, a male child was born. It was a divine's decision that this child would be kept under the care of childless devotee of Lord Shiva - King Rajasekhara of Pandalam.
Once, King Rajasekhara went on the hunting trip into deep forest near Pamba river. In middle of the hunting, while he was going to take rest by reclining under a nearby tree, he heard the wails of an infant. He then followed the direction from where the sounds were coming, and he was surprised to see a beautiful infant kicking his feet and arms. He then decided to take the child to his palace feeling gratitude to Lord Shiva.
While the King beheld the infant, a sadhu appeared before him from nowhere and instructed him to take the child to his palace. And since the child had a golden chain with a diamond pendant, sadhu told the King to name the child as Manikantha (Mani- Diamond; Kantha - Neck).
Ecstatic, King took Manikantha to home and briefed the happenings to the queen. They both felt happy thinking and feeling gratitude that Lord Shiva has given them the child. However, King's Minister Diwan was sad as his thoughts of becoming King has shattered since they got the child.
As a child, Manikantha grew up learning martial arts, shastras, and surprised his guru with his intelligence and superhuman brilliance. Once the completion of his studies, his guru concluded that the boy was no ordinary man but a divine being. As gurudakshina, Manikantha approached his guru for dakshina; who requested to bestow speech and vision to his son - who was blind and dumb; knowing Manikantha's divinity. Manikantha immediately placed his hands on the guru's son, who abruptly started speaking and was able to see. Requesting that his miracles should not be revealed to anyone he returned to royal palace.
Meanwhile, the queen has given birth to a male child, who was named Raja Rajan. However, King Rajasekhara knowing that Manikantha has learned all skills from his guru, decided to do pattabhishekam (crowning ceremony to become King) to Manikantha. This thought of the King was not liked by his Diwan. King was always fond of Manikantha and considered him as his eldest son. Diwan, made several cruel plots to assassinate Manikantha - food poisoning etc. Manikantha had few narrow escapes, yet his body bore an injury that none were able to cure. Finally, Lord Shiva himself in the garb of a healer cured the young boy.
Realizing that his plans were foiled, Diwan told to the queen that If Manikantha is made king as the successor of King Rajasekhara, then her own son Raja Rajan would be left with nothing. For this he hatched a plan as if the queen is suffering from a terrible headache, for which the queen too became accomplice. Queen had supported Diwan, thinking about the future of her own son Raja Rajan and pretended as if she was suffering from a terrible headache. King Rajasekhara was alarmed by this news, and summoned all his medical physicians to cure the headache; one among them was an accomplice of Diwan and he had opined that a tigress milk can cure this headache. Soon, King arranged a group of soldiers and people to get the tigress milk from the dense forest nearby but they returned empty handed. Manikantha offered to help, however King Rajasekhara was reluctant to send him for such a dangerous mission citing his tender age and impending coronation as reasons. However, Manikantha convinced and stressed that he would go and get the tigress milk from the forest and refused to take any group of people along with him. He went alone into the forest to get the tigress milk since he was himself divine power. With heavy heart, King made Manikantha take food stocks and coconut, in honour of Lord Shiva.
Panchabhutas of Lord Shiva, accompanied Manikantha as he entered the forest. But on the way, he had a chance to witness the attrocities meted upon by Mahishi in Devaloka and Bhuloka. He could not stand this injustice and immediately jumped on to her and threw her on the ground. A terrible fight enraged between them and at the end commenced a violent dance on Mahishi, which reverberated through all trilokas. Realizing that the boy was the son of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu, Mahishi got chastened, prostrated before the young boy and died.
Manikantha, then pursued his search for tigress milk, however he was blessed by Lord Shiva and said that Lord Indra would help him in getting the tigress milk. Manikantha then ascended on Lord Indra, disguised as tiger and they were accompanied by female devas as tigresses. Seeing Manikantha with tiger and tigresses, people of Pandalam were shocked. The King Rajasekhara fell at Manikantha's feet asking for forgiveness since he saw through mysterious ailment Queen had, which had ceased the moment Manikantha left the palace. With this, the King ordered to punish Diwan, however Manikantha opined that these events were all of divine's wish. Manikantha said that the task for which he was born has been accomplished, and that he would return to devaloka now.
Saying so, Manikantha took leave of the King to ascend the devaloka, immediately King told him that they wanted to build a temple in his memory for which Manikantha shot an arrow, and said that please build the temple where this arrow gets stuck. Actually, the arrow fell on the hill called Sabari ( A great devotee of Sri Rama, who has achieved salvation after meeting Sri Rama). Manikantha told the king to build the temple on this Sabari hill and disappeared.
King Rajasekhara sent his soldiers in different directions to search for the arrow to construct a temple at the site. They recognized the site and on the advice of Sage Agastya, King Rajasekhara laid the foundation stone for the temple at Sabarimala. Manikantha, had emphatically stated that he would grace only those devotees who would observe 41 days of vratha or penance that includes strict abstinence from family desires and tastes; the devotees are expected to adhere to the life akin to that of a brahmachari, constantly reflecting on the goodness of life. Whilst their way up the steep slopes of Sabarimala, they adorn themselves with three eyed coconut and foodstuff/ Aantha garland on their heads, as the Bhagwan did when he went to the forest to fetch tigress milk, and bath in river Pamba raising the slogans of Saranam Ayyappa and climb the eighteen stairs.
King Rajasekara, in due course of time completed the construction of the shrine and the sacred eighteen stairs leading to the temple complex. As the King mulled over the seemingly perplexing task of placing Dharmasastha's idol in the temple for darshan, he was reminded of the words of the Lord himself - the River Pampa is a holy river as River Ganga, Sabarimala is as holy as Kasi - Dharmasastha sent Parasuraman, who resurrected the land of Kerala from the bottom of the ocean, to Sabarimala; it was he who carved the figure of Lord Ayyappa and installed it on the day of Makarasankranthi.
Every year, millions converge upon Sabarimala irrespective of caste or creed, with garlands and irumudis, chant paeans to Lord Ayyappa, bathe in holy river Pampa, climb up the eighteen stairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lord Ayyappa, the Dharmasastha.
Sources & References:
1. http://sabarimala.tdb.org.in/node/125
2. Google for pictures and Travancore devaswom board website.
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