Sabarimala Temple

Sabarimala Temple
The Sabarimala Sree Ayyappan Temple is a Hindu temple complex located on the Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve, Ranni-Perunad Village, Ranni Taluk, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. It is one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world, with an estimate of over 10 to 15 million devotees visiting every year. The temple is dedicated to a Hindu Brahmachari (celibate) deity named Ayyappan also known as Dharma Shasta, who, according to one belief, is the son of Shiva and Vishnu. Sabarimala Temple exemplifies the convergence of diverse religions in India.
The temple is situated on a hilltop amidst eighteen hills at an altitude of 1,260 m (4,134 ft) above the mean sea level and is surrounded by mountains and dense forests. The dense forest, part of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, around the temple is known as Poongavanam. Temples exist in each of the hills surrounding Sabarimala. While functional and intact temples exist at many places in the surrounding areas like Nilakkal, Kalaketty, and Karimala, remnants of old temples survive to this day on the remaining hills.
In 1991, a PIL was filed, and the Kerala High Court told the Devaswom Board to keep the temple's customary practices. They also concluded that there is no difference between one group or class of Hindus, and when it comes to entering a temple, the ban only applies to women of a certain age and not to women in general.
On September 28, 2018, the Supreme Court of India, which had a panel of 4 male judges and 1 female judge, ruled by a majority of 4-1 to overturn the ban on women entering the temple. The state of Kerala expressed dissent towards the decision made by the Supreme Court.
The temple is open for worship only during the days of Mandala pooja (approximately 15 November to 26 December), Makaravilakku or "Makara Sankranti" (14 January), and Maha Thirumal Sankranti (14 April), and the first five days of each Malayalam month. The pilgrimage includes a unique tradition of offering prayer at the mosque of Vavar, a Muslim devotee of Ayappan.
Origins and Legends
According to the Bhagavatam, Shiva fell in love with Vishnu while he was in Mohini form. Their connection resulted in the conception of Shasta. As the other name for Shiva is Hara and that of Vishnu is Hari, the child born was also known as Hariharaputra. It is believed that Ayyappa is an avatar of Shasta.
The worship of Shasta forms part of the ancient history of south India. There are many Shasta temples in South India and across the globe.
Five Shasta temples are said to be linked to Parashurama, an incarnation of Vishnu. Sastha temples in Kulathupuzha, Aryankavu, Achankovil, Sabarimala, and Ponnambalmedu are among the five Shasta temples.
Folklore says that the temple in Kulathupuzha is related to the deity's childhood years, where he was enshrined as a child. The Aryankavu temple is related to the deity's adolescence, the Brahmachari state. The Achankovil temple is connected to the deity's Grahastha years, where he is shown sitting on a horse and holding a sword, along with his wives, Pushkala and Poorna. The Sabarimala temple is associated with the deity's Vanaprastha years, and in the Ponnambalmedu or Kantamala temple, the deity is shown as the greatest Yogi.
Legend of Manikanthan
Sage Suta told his followers the story of how Ayyappa was born, according to Bhutnathopakhyanam, a text for Ayyappan followers. After Chamundi killed Mahisasura, his sister Mahisi arrived to take revenge on the devas (gods). Brahma gave Mahishi a boon that made her invincible, and only a human born of two males could kill her. The devas were afraid and helpless, so they sought assistance from Vishnu. The union of Shiva and Vishnu, who took the avatar of Mohini, produced a son named Manikanthan.
Manikanthan was abandoned on the banks of the Pampa River in southern India. The emperor Rajasekhara of the Panthalam dynasty, who didn't have any children, found this child. In the meantime, the queen delivered a baby. The queen disliked Manikanthan and devised a scheme to eliminate him. She lied about her sickness, claiming that she could only be treated by consuming tiger's milk. Twelve-year-old Manikanthan ventured into the wilderness in search of tiger's milk for her mother. On his journey through the forest, he destroyed Mahisi. The devas were pleased at Mahishi's death. Indra assumed the appearance of a tiger, which Manikanthan used to return to the kingdom. He flung an arrow into the forest to mark the location of a temple, directed them to construct a temple, and then departed for Devaloka (the devas' abode).
Connection with Rama
Shabari was a tribal devotee of Rama who is mentioned in the Ramayana. Sabarimala literally translates to "the hill of Sabari."
As per legend, Sabari met Sage Matanga near the foot of Mount Rishyamukha. He became her guru, and she devotedly served him for years. When Matanga was on his deathbed, he foretold that Rama would come to grant her darshan. He told her to wait for the arrival of Rama. Since that time, Sabari has only left her ashram each day to gather berries for Rama. She would pick one, taste it, and place it in her basket if it was sweet, discarding the bitter berries because she wanted Rama to have only the sweet berries. While in his search for Sita, Rama visits the Sabari at her ashram. Sabari fed Rama with the berries that she had collected.
Rama saw a divine person doing penance and asked Shabari to tell him who it was. Shabari said it was Sastha (Ayyappan). Sastha also stood and greeted Rama.
The temple
History
The Sabarimala temple does not have any ancient or medieval references. Nevertheless, there are extant late medieval references pertaining to the temple.
In 1793, a mortgage document was drafted by the Pandalam ruling family. It states that the royal family is pledging the revenue returns, which encompass the income generated by the Sabarimala Temple, to the Tranvancore state.
In the year 1902, the ruler of Travancore issued a directive for the restoration of the Sabarimala temple, which had suffered damage as a result of a fire incident. Kochu Thomman, a Mavelikkara resident of Christian faith, funded and carried out the reconstruction contract.
In the year 1950, temple was rebuilt after arson attack No charges were brought, and the earlier stone image of the deity was replaced by a panchaloha (an alloy of five metals) idol, about 1 and a half feet tall. Neelakanta Panicker and his younger brother, Ayyappa Panicker, who are members of the Thattavila Vishwakarma family in Chengannur, Kerala, created the Panchaloha idol to replace the original stone statue of the deity. Edavankadan T.N. Padmanabhan Achari from Mavaelikkara was appointed the supervisor in charge of the new idol by Maharaja Sree Chithira Tirunaal Balarama Varma. In the early 1950s, through P. T. Rajan efforts, the present panchaloha idol of Ayyappan was installed at Sabarimalai and a procession was taken all over Madras state.
The Sannidhanam (main temple) is built on a plateau about 40 feet high.
The temple consists of a sanctum sanctorum with a gold-plated roof and four golden finials at the top, two mandapams, and the balikalpura, which houses the altar. In 1969, the flagstaff (dhwajastambha) was installed.
Ayyappan's half-brother Ganesha's shrine is southwest of the sanctum. Devotees offer part of the broken coconut (Neythenga) to the fireplace (Azhi). Ganapati homam is the main offering.
The 18 sacred steps are the main stairway to the temple. As per the custom followed, no pilgrim without "Irumudikkettu" can ascend the 18 sacred steps. In 1985, the 18 steps were covered by Panchaloha. The northern gate is open for those who do not carry an "Irumudikkettu", as observed in the Kerala High Court judgement of 1991.
The temples of Ayyappan's trusted lieutenants, Karuppu Sami and Kadutha Sami are positioned as his guards (kaval) at the foot of the holy 18 sacred steps.
The temple of Maalikapurathamma, whose importance is almost inn par with Ayyappan, is located few yards from Sannidhanam. It is believed that Ayyappan had specific instructions that he wanted Malikappurath Amma, on his left side. Prior to the fire disaster, there was only a Peeda Prathishta (holy seat) at Malikappuram. The idol of Malikappurath Amma was installed by Brahmasree Kandararu Maheswararu Thanthri. Maalikapurathamma holds a Sankh, Chakram and Varada Abhya Mudra. Now the idol is covered with a gold Golaka. The temple also was reconstructed in the last decade and now the conical roof and sopanam is covered with gold.
It is believed that Maalikapurathamma worshipped as the daughter of Cheerappanchira Panicker who taught Kalaripayattu to Ayyappan. Cheerappanchira, which is situated about 100 km from Sabarimala holds many rights in Sabarimala, such as conducting fireworks at Sabarimala, lighting Nilavilak and ceremonial lamps at the shrine of Malikapurathamma at Sabarimala, collect half the coconuts given by devotees at Malikapurathamma shrine at Sabarimala. There is also a Mukkalvetti Ayyappa temple at Cheerappanchira which hold 3/4 power of Ayyappan and rest in Sabarimala.
The shrine of the king of the snakes, Nagaraja is placed adjacent to the Malikappurathamma temple. Pilgrims after the Darsan of Ayyappa and Kannimoola Ganapathi, make their darshan and give offerings to Nagaraja.
Manimandapam, is the place where Ayyappan vanished into the temple.
The Sabarimala temple complex include Pampa Ganapathi temple, Nilakal Mahadeva temple and Palliyara Bhagavathi temple. The Nilakal Mahadeva temple and Palliyara Bhagavathi temple are as old as the Ayyappan temple and the deities are worshiped as the parents of Ayyappan even though Vishnu-Mohini was the legitimate mother, ev. Ganapathi temple at Pampa has Pampa Maha Ganapathi and Athi Ganapathi (lit. old Ganesha) idols, in Sreekovil where the idol from the first Ganesha temple is worshiped. Sabari Peedam has a temple of Rama and Hanuman also.
Worship
Prasadam
The prasadam at Sabarimala temple is Aravana payasam and Appam. These are prepared by using rice, ghee, sugar, jaggery etc. The rice needed to prepare the prasadam at Sabarimala temple is supplied by Chettikulangara Devi Temple, the second largest temple under the Travancore Devaswom Board situated at Mavelikkara. The Chief Commissioner, Travancore Devaswom Board, said that the board has appointed the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore as a consultant for providing technical guidance to ensure the quality of Aravana, Appam and other prasadam preparations at Sabarimala temple.
Harivarasanam
Harivarasanam is recited before closing the temple door every night. The Harivarasanam prayer, which is sung at Sabarimala is a Urakkupattu. It is composed by Kambangudi Kulathur Srinivasa Iyer in Sanskrit. It is said that Srinivasa Iyer used to recite the composition after the Athazha Puja, standing in front of the shrine of Ayyappa in the main temple. With the efforts of Swami Vimochanananda, it came to be accepted as the lullaby by the Tantri and Melshanthi. The composition has 352 letters, 108 words in 32 lines in 8 stanzas.
Though there have been many versions of this song sung by many renowned vocalists, the temple plays the rendition by K. J. Yesudas, composed by the renowned music director G. Devarajan, which is in the Madhyamavathi raga of Indian Carnatic music.
Neyyabhishekam
This significant ritual involves pouring sacred ghee brought by pilgrims in their Pallikettu or Irumudi (a two-compartment bag made of handwoven cotton cloth used to carry the offerings for Sabarimala Temple carried on their heads) on the idol of Ayyappan. It symbolically means the merging of Jeevatma with the Paramatma. While a red-colored irumudi is used by a pilgrim on his first journey as a Kanni Ayyappan to Sabarimala, others use navy blue till third year and thereafter saffron colored irumudi.
Makara Vilakku
Rama and his brother Lakshmana met Sabari, a tribal devotee, at Sabarimala. Sabari offered him fruits after tasting them. But Rama accepted them gladly and wholeheartedly. Rama then saw a divine person doing tapasya. He asked Sabari who it was. Sabari said it was Shasta. Rama walked towards him. Shasta stood up and welcomed the Prince of Ayodhya. The anniversary of this incident is celebrated on Makara Vilakku Day. It is believed that on Makara Vilakku Day, Ayyappan stops his penance to bless his devotees. The day is also called Makar Sankranti.
Makarajyoti
This is a star that appears at the moment of Makar Sankranti, before the holy arti and the lighting of the Makaravilakku at Ponnambalamedu. It is the custom that after seeing the Makarajyoti star, the lighting of the Makaravilakku shall begin.
Tattvamasi
The most important message written at the temple facade is one of the four Mahāvākyas of Advaita or the non-dualistic school of philosophy. Tat Tvam Asi, the 3rd of four Mahavakyas which in sanskrit translates to "Thou Art That" is the principal philosophy that governs the temple and pilgrimage. As the pilgrimage is symbolic for the journey to self-realization that all living beings possess the essence of Brahman, pilgrims refer to each other as Swami, acknowledging their divinity.
The oneness of jIva and Ishvara is described by enquiry into the inner meaning of the statement ‘tat tvam asi’as follows:
"Tat" refers to Ishvara, the lord - the word Ishvara has a literal and an implied meaning;
The literal meaning of ‘Ishvara’ is ‘satyam-brahman together with mithyA-mAyA’;
The implied meaning of Ishvara is pure Brahman devoid of the superimposition of mAyA;
"Tvam" refers to the jIva, the individual;
The literal meaning of ‘jIva’ is ‘AtmA identified with mithyA gross and subtle bodies’;
The implied meaning is pure consciousness-AtmA without mithyA gross and subtle bodies;
In advaita AtmA and Brahman are different names of the one Reality;
Thus, jIva and Ishvara are Absolutely non-different in reality, and only relatively different because of the superimposed names and forms through which the one Reality is experienced.
The history behind the worshipping methods
The customs of the pilgrims to Sabarimala are based on five worshipping methods; those of Shaivites, Shaktists and Vaishnavites. At first, there were three sections of devotees – the devotees of Shakti worship their deity by way of yajna, literally sacrifice., the devotees of Vishnu who followed the strict penance and continence, and the devotees of Shiva who partly followed these two methods. Another name of Ayyappa is Shasta. All these can be seen merged into the beliefs of pilgrims to Sabarimala. The chain the pilgrims wear comes from the Rudraksha chain of the Shaivites. The strict fasting, penance and continence is taken out of the beliefs of the Vaishnavites. The offering of tobacco to Kaduthaswamy can be considered to be taken from the Shaktists.
Pilgrimage
The duration of the pilgrimage to the Sabarimala temple is predetermined. Furthermore, the pilgrims are required to undergo various stages of the pilgrimage in an ordered manner.
The pilgrimage to Sabarimala starts on the first day of Vrischika month of the Malayalam year (the month of Scorpio) and ends on the 11th day of Dhanu month (the Month of Sagittarius). This season of the 41-day pilgrimage is known as the mandala (season). The season is in the months of December and January.
The Nearest railway station is Chengannur railway station is known as the Gateway of Sabarimala. because Devotees from Andhra,Telangana,Karnataka,Tamil Nadu and the rest of India alight at Chengannur railway station for their pilgrimage about 70% of devotees alight here so railway is going to create a new railway line from chengannur to pamba (Distance 75 km).
The devotees are expected to follow a Vratham (a 41-day austerity period) prior to the pilgrimage. This begins with wearing a special Mala (a neck chain made of Rudraksha or Tulasi beads is commonly used, although other types of chains are also available). During the 41 days of Vratham, the devotee who has taken the vow is required to strictly follow the rules that include following only a lacto-vegetarian diet (In India, vegetarianism is synonymous with lacto-vegetarianism), following celibacy, follow teetotalism, not using any profanity and have to control the anger, and allowing the hair and nails to grow without cutting. They must try their maximum to help others, and see everything around them as lord Ayyappa. They are expected to bath twice in a day and visit the local temples regularly and only wear plain black or blue coloured traditional clothing.
Many Hindu pilgrims also visit a mosque in Erumely dedicated to Vavar, a Muslim saint who according to tradition was devotee of Ayyappan.
Millions of devotees still follow the traditional mountainous forest path (approximately 61 km) from Erumely, 12.8 km from Vandiperiyar and 8 km from Chalakayam, believed to be taken by Ayyappa himself. The Erumely route starts from Erumely to Aludha river, then crosses the Aludha mountain to reach Karivilam thodu. Now comes the sacred Karimala crossing, from there to Cheriyanavattom, Valliyanavattom and finally Pamba River. Then they have to climb Neelimala and enter into the Ganesha-Bettam, Shreerama-Betta Padam. Then comes the Aranmula kottaram, which is one of the stops of holy journey Thiruvabharana Ghoshayatra (the grand procession of the divine jewelry).
These days people use vehicles to reach the Pamba River by an alternate route. From Pamba, all the pilgrims begin trekking the steep mountain path of Neeli Mala till Sabari Mala. This route is now highly developed, with emergency shops and medical aid by the sides, and supporting aid is provided to the pilgrims while climbing the steep slope, which used to be a mere trail through dense jungle. The elderly pilgrims are lifted by men on bamboo chairs till the top, on being paid.
Women
Temple management places religious restrictions against the entry of women aged 10 to 50. This is based on the tradition of the temple to respect the celibate nature of the deity; similar restrictions are present against the entry of men on certain days or the inner sanctum in other Hindu temples such as the Pushkar Brahma Temple and the Kamakhya_Temple. in Guwahati.
According to the Memoir of the Survey of the Travancore and Cochin States, which was published in two volumes by the Madras government in the 19th century, women of menstruating age were denied entry into the Sabarimala temple two centuries ago. Though the authors, lieutenants of the Madras Infantry, completed the survey by the end of the year 1820 after nearly five years of research, it was published in two volumes only in 1893 and 1901. According to the report, individuals who have reached puberty or a specific age are prohibited from approaching the temple, while elderly women and young girls are permitted to do so. This is due to the deity's (Ayyappan) aversion to any sexual activity in the vicinity.
Up until 1991, women visited the temple, though in small numbers. Women pilgrims below the age of 50 would visit the temple to conduct the first rice-feeding ceremony of their children (Chorroonu) in the temple premises.
In 1991, Justices K. Paripoornan and K. Balanarayana Marar of the Kerala High Court, in their ruling against the Travancore Devaswom Board, restricted the entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 from offering worship at the temple, stating that such a restriction was in accordance with the usage prevalent from time immemorial. In addition, the judges directed the Government of Kerala to use the police force to ensure that restriction was complied with. The high court also stated that "since there is no restriction between one section and another section or between one class and another class among the Hindus in the matter of entry to a temple (Sabarimala), whereas the prohibition is only in respect of women of a particular age group and not women as a class."
On 28 September 2018, the Supreme Court of India, in a 4-1 majority decision (4 men and 1 women judicial panel), overturned the ban on the entry of women. The Chief Justice, Dipak Misra, stated that the selective ban on women was not an "essential part" of Hinduism but instead a form of "religious patriarchy". Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud stated that the ban "stigamatises" and "stereotypes" women while "placing the burden of men's celibacy" on them. The lone female judge, Indu Malhotra noted in her dissenting judgement that "what constitutes an essential religious practice is for the religious community to decide" and not a matter that should be decided by the courts. She added that "notions of rationality cannot be invoked in matters of religion by courts." After the Supreme Court's decision, there were a lot of protests and gatherings in the southern part of Kerala. In response to the decision made on September 28, 2018, devotees have filed about 65 review petitions. The Supreme Court of India accepted review petitions against its own orders. The Supreme Court has decided to review the petition and hold a public hearing because of the important facts and circumstances of the case.
This led to protests at Nilakkal and Pamba base camps on 17 October 2018, when the temple was opened for the first time after the Supreme Court verdict. Protesters assaulted women journalists, stole their camera equipment, and damaged a vehicle. The police were also attacked. A number of women were among the protesters, checking cars to see if they contained women of menstruating age and helping with the road blocks. There were also reports of police damaging protesters' motor bikes. However Ayyappan devotees in a large scale all over Kerala and also in other southern state of India namely Tamil Nadu, Andra pradesh and Karnataka, protested against entry of women in 10-50 age group in Sabarimala. large number of people participated in the protest mainly women devotees. On 26 December 2018 Devotees conducted 'Ayyappa Jyothi' lighting diya or lamp all across the state of Kerala, Karnataka covering a distance of about 765 km from 6 pm to 6-30 pm against young women's entry to temple. Thousands joined in the event. The protestors were physically attacked in Kannur and the state government filed cases against 1400 unidentified participants.
Even other religious groups supported the cause of devotees. Prominent Jain Acharya Yugbhushan Suri Maharaj, also known as Pandit Maharaj, has said that sanctity was a religious issue and that it was connected to fundamental religious rights. Commenting on the Sabarimala temple row, Pandit Maharaj told IndiaToday.in, "Whether it is Sabarimala or Jharkhand's Shikharji, the agitations are for sanctity," adding, "Religion talks about inner belief and sanctity. This should be respected. I am not against the judiciary or the Supreme Court, but they should not overlook the belief of the people." Also, Art of Living founder Ravi Shankar batted for the rules that have been traditionally followed at the sanctum sanctorum of the Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala.
Two women of menstruating age attempted to enter the temple on 19 October 2018 but were blocked by protesters about 100 m away. After the Thantri threatened to close the sanctum sanctorum if the women attempted to ascend the 18 sacred steps, they turned back.
On 2 January 2019 at 3:45 AM, for the first time after the Supreme Court verdict, two women in their early 40s were escorted by police into the Sabarimala temple, allegedly through a back gate meant for staff. The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, confirmed their entry. Thereafter, priests closed the temple for one hour to ritually purify it as the 41-days pilgrimage is known as Mandala kalam or the 41-day austerity period/Vratham had not been given a by-pass and the women entered the temple premises violating all those traditions too.
After the hearing ended in February 2019, the Court, led by the newly appointed Chief Justice, Mr. Ranjan Gagoi, issued an order to send the case to a larger bench of seven judges so that the decision made on September 28, 2018, could be looked at again.
Administration
Administration and legal binding is managed by Travancore Devasvom Board, an affiliate authority of Government of Kerala. Thazhamon Madom is the traditional priest family who has powers over the religious matters to be decided in Sabarimala Temple. Tantri is the highest priest and is the head of the temple. It's the duty of the family to decide on religious matters relating to Sabarimala shrine. Tantris are to be present in all ceremonial Poojas and functions to be held at temple premises and functions associated with temple. The installation of idols of the temple was also done by Tantri of this family.
Currently, Kandararu Rajeevararu and Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru from Thazhamon Madom are the thantris of Sabarimala, taking yearly turns and A K Sudheer Namboodiri is the elected melshanti of Sabarimala, from November 2019 to November 2020.
Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has decided to allow more devotees daily to visit the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple as of 1 December 2020. The number of devotees has been increased from the present 1,000 to 2,000 on week days and from 2,000 to 3,000 on weekends and holidays.
All necessary precautionary measures have been taken at the shrine premises and base camps adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.
Environmental efforts
The waste disposed by the devotees to Sabarimala is threatening the wildlife of the region and the evergreen forests. Efforts are on to make Sabarimala free from pollution and waste. High Court of Kerala has directed that 'Irumudikkettu' should not contain plastic materials. Projects like "Punyam Poonkavanam" has been initiated under the aegis of governmental departments. Mata Amritanandamayi Math has been regularly contributing to keep Sabarimala and its precincts clean. While cleaning Pamba river Sabarimala Sanndidhaanam clean is their primary objective, the broader vision is to spread the message of greenness and cleanliness beyond Sabarimala.
Some of the salient aspects of "Punyam Poonkavanam" project includes:
Not using soap and oil while bathing in the holy Pamba River. No throwing any material, including clothes in the holy river.
To prepare irumudikkettu without using any plastic and using only bio-degradable materials.
To devote at least one hour in cleanliness activities at Sabarimala Sannidhaanam, River Pamba and surroundings as part of the pilgrimage.
Transport
The Nearest railway station is Chengannur known as the Gateway of Sabarimala. are some of the closest accessible railway stations from Sabarimala.
The nearest airports are Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and Cochin International Airport. The state government has also approved the construction of a fifth airport in the Kottayam district, close to the Sabarimala shrine on 31 December 2022.
A heliport is situated in Perunad about from Pamba, which is also known as Sabarimala helipad.
The main trunk road of about to Sabarimala is Pathanamthitta-Pamba, which passes through, Mannarakulanji, Vadasserikara, Perunad, Lahai & Nilakkal. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation operates regular daily bus services from Pandalam, Pathanamthitta, Adoor, Chengannur, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kumili. Direct Bus services to Pampa are operated from Chengannur railway station , Pathanamthitta KSRTC,and Kottayam railway station.Buses Are Scheduled From Pathanamthitta KSRTC To Pampa.
See also
Entry of women to Sabarimala
Pandalam dynasty
Pettathullal
Ready To Wait campaign
Sabarimala Trek
Sacred mountains of India
Vavar
References
External links
Official Website Of Sabarimala
Hindu temples in Pathanamthitta district
Hindu pilgrimage sites in India
Hindu holy cities
Pamba River
Vegetarian towns in India
Ayyappan