Sabarimala Temple

The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple (Malayalam pronunciation: [ʃabəɾimala]) is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Ayyappan, who is also known as Dharma Shasta and is the son of the deities Shiva and Mohini (female avatar of the god Vishnu).
The temple is situated atop the Sabarimala hill in the village of Ranni-Perunad, within the Ranni Taluk, Thiruvalla Revenue Division of Pathanamthitta district in the state of Kerala, India. The temple is surrounded by 18 hills in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. 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 open for worship only during the days of Mandala Pooja (approximately 15 November to 26 December), Makaravilakku or Makara Sankranti (14 January), Maha Thirumal Sankranti (14 April), and the first five days of each Malayalam month. The Sabarimala Temple serves as a prime example of the amalgamation of several religious traditions within the Indian context.
The temple practices prohibit women between the ages of 10 and 50 years from accessing the temple premises.
According to Bhagavata Purana, god Shiva lay with god Vishnu while the latter was in the female Mohini form. Their carnal union resulted in the conception of the deity Shasta. Shasta is also known as Hariharaputra, the son of Hari (Vishnu) and Hara (Shiva). It is believed that Ayyappa is a form 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, namely those in Kulathupuzha, Aryankavu, Achankovil, Sabarimala, and Ponnambalmedu, are said to be linked to Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu. In Kulathupuzha, Shasta is venerated as a child deity. In the Aryankavu temple, he is worshipped as an adolescent Brahmachari. The Achankovil temple is connected to the deity's Grihastha (household), 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, and in the Ponnambalmedu or Kantamala temple, the deity is shown as the greatest Yogi.
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, with the caveat that 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 Manikandan.
Manikandan was abandoned on the banks of the Pampa River in southern India. The emperor Rajasekhara of the Panthalam dynasty, who was child less, found this child. In the meantime, the queen delivered a baby. The queen disliked Manikandan 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 Manikandan ventured into the wilderness in search of tiger's milk for his adoptive mother. On his journey through the forest, he killed Mahisi. The devas were pleased at Mahishi's death. Indra assumed the appearance of a tiger, which Manikandan 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).
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 would leave her ashram each day only 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 searching for Sita, Rama visits 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.
According to mythology, Maalikapurathamma is the divine daughter of Cheerappanchira Panicker who taught Kalaripayattu to Ayyappa. Cheerappanchira is an ancient noble Ezhava family renowned for its Kalari in Muhamma, Alappuzha District. According to legend, Ayyappan was sent by the Pandalam king to Muhamma to learn Kalaripayattu. Malikkapurathamma, also known as Subhadra (Poonkudi), used to teach Kalari to Ayyappan in the absence of her father. During this time, they fell in love with each other. The Cheerappanchira family to this day holds many rights in the Sabarimala temple, such as to conduct fireworks, to light Nilavilak and ceremonial lamps at the Malikapurathamma temple, collect half the coconuts given by devotees at the Malikapurathamma temple.
There is a small Mukkalvettam Ayyappa temple at Cheerappanchira, near Muhamma ,Alappuzha which hold 3/4 power of Ayyappa..
Valiya Kadutha Swamy and Kochu Kadutha Swamy who were warriors are worshipped at Shabarimala are considered as ‘Shaundikans’, who hails from the Malabar Thiyyar community.
The Sabarimala temple does not have any ancient or medieval references. Nevertheless, there are extant late medieval references pertaining to the temple.
The Pandalam royal family drafted a mortgage document in 1793. 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 1863, Ward and Conner published an article that provided a description of Sabarimala and its vicinity.
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. Kochummen Muthalali of Polachirackal family, a Mavelikkara resident of Christian faith, funded and carried out the reconstruction contract.
In the year 1950, the temple was rebuilt after an 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 one 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 Rajpramukh 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.
In 1969, the flagstaff (dhwajastambha) was installed.
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.
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 temples of Ayyappan's trusted lieutenants, Karuppannaswamy and Kadutha Sami, are positioned as his guards (kaval) at the foot of the holy 18 sacred steps.
The northern gate is open for those who do not carry an "Irumudikkettu", as observed in the 1991 Kerala High Court judgement.
Ayyappan's half-brother Kannimoola Ganapathy'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 temple of Maalikapurathamma, whose importance is almost on par with that of Ayyappan, is located a 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 damage, there was only a Peeda Prathishta (holy seat) at Malikappuram. Brahmasree Kandararu Maheswararu Thanthri installed the idol of Malikappurath Amma. The goddess holds a Sankh, Chakram and Varada Abhya Mudra. The idol is now covered with a gold golaka. The temple was also reconstructed in the last decade, and the conical roof and sopanam are also covered with gold.
The shrine of the king of the snakes, Nagaraja, is adjacent to the Malikappurathamma temple. Pilgrims, after the Darsan of Ayyappa and Kannimoola Ganapathi, proceed for their darshan of and give offerings to Nagaraja.
Manimandapam is the place where Ayyappan vanished into the temple.
The Sabarimala temple complex includes Pampa Ganapathi temple, Nilakal Mahadeva temple, and Palliyarakkavu Devi Temple. The Nilakal Mahadeva temple and Palliyarakkavu Devi Temple are as old as the Ayyappan temple, and the deities are worshipped as the parents of Ayyappan. Ganapathi temple at Pampa houses Pampa Maha Ganapathi and Athi Ganapathi (lit. old Ganesha) idols; in Sreekovil, the idol from the first Ganesha temple is worshipped. Sabari Peedam has a temple for Rama and Hanuman as well.
The prasadam at Sabarimala temple are Aravana payasam and Appam. An 'Appam' is a sweet ball composed of rice, kadalippazham, and ghee, whereas 'Arvana' refers to a dense and sweet dessert. 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.
Vadakkathillathu Eswaran Namoothiri, who held the position of melsanthi, a chief priest, started the tradition of singing keerthan in the year 1950. Following the Athazhapooja, he performed the recitation of Harivarasanam, a Sanskrit Urakkupattu (lullaby). The recitation takes place nightly before the closing of the temple entrance. The keerthan can be found in the Sasthasthuti kadambam, a publication authored by Kambankudi Sundaram Kulathu Ayyer. The song depicts Ayappa as Hariharaputhra, a deity revered in the Vedas.
This significant ritual involves pouring sacred ghee brought by pilgrims in their Pallikettu or Irumudi (a two-compartment bag made of handwoven cotton for the offerings for Sabarimala Temple carried on their heads) on the idol of Ayyappan. It symbolically means the merging of Jeevatma with the Paramatma.
Makaravilakku is an annual festival held on Makara Sankranti in Kerala, India at the shrine of Sabarimala. The festival includes the Thiruvabharanam (sacred ornaments of the deity Ayyappan) procession and a congregation at the hill shrine of Sabarimala. An estimated half a million devotees flow to Sabarimala every year to have a darshan (glimpse) of this ritual this day.
Makara Jyothi is the name given to the celestial star Sirius. It appears at the moment of Makar Sankranti, after which the holy arti is performed and the lighting of the Makaravilakku at Ponnambalamedu shall begin.
The most important message written on 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 part and parcel of parabrahman (lord), pilgrims refer to each other as Swami, acknowledging their divinity with lord seated in everyone's heart as bramhan.
The oneness of jIva and Ishvara are qualitatively but not quantitatively described by enquiry into the inner meaning of the statement ‘tat tvam asi’ as follows:
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 duration of the pilgrimage to the Sabarimala temple is predetermined. Furthermore, the pilgrims are required to undergo various stages of the pilgrimage in an orderly manner.
The pilgrimage to Sabarimala starts on the first day of Vrischika month of the Malayalam calendar (with Scorpio zodiac) and ends on the 11th day of Dhanu month (during Sagittarius). This duration of the 41-day pilgrimage is known as mandala (season) and falls in the months of December and January of the Gregorian calendar.
The nearest railway station, Chengannur railway station, is known as the Gateway of Sabarimala because devotees from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu as well as from the rest of India arrive at this station.
The devotees are expected to follow a Vratham (a 41-day austerity period) prior to the pilgrimage. This begins with wearing a special Mala (necklace) commonly of Rudraksha or Tulasi beads, although other types of chains are also available. During the 41 days of the pious devotion, the devotees take a vow of lacto-vegetarian diet (In India, vegetarianism is synonymous with lacto-vegetarianism), celibacy, teetotalism, not using any profanity, controlling anger, and allow the hair and nails to grow without trimming. They must try to help others, and see everything around them as Ayyappa. They are expected to bathe twice a day and visit the local temples regularly and only wear plain black or blue coloured traditional attire.
Many of these Hindu pilgrims also visit a mosque in Erumely dedicated to Vavar, a Muslim saint who according to tradition was a devotee of Ayyappan.
Millions of devotees still take 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 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 properly paved, with emergency shops and medical aid by the side, and supporting aid is provided to the pilgrims while climbing the steep slope, which used to be a mere trail through dense jungle. Elderly pilgrims are carried by men on bamboo chairs to the top, for a payment.
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, girls and women capable of pregnancy are prohibited from approaching the temple, while elderly women and pre-pubescent 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. Female pilgrims below the age of 50 would visit the temple to conduct (Chorroonu), the first rice-feeding ceremony of their infants in the temple's 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 numerous protests and gatherings in the southern part of Kerala. In response to this ruling, 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 for women of menstruating age and helping with the road blocks. There were also reports of police damaging protesters' motor bikes. Devotees in a large scale all over Kerala and in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, Andra Pradesh and Karnataka, also joined the protests. As part of these protests, on 26 December 2018, devotees lit the 'Ayyappa Jyothi' across the state of Kerala and in Karnataka covering a distance of about 765 km from 6 pm to 6:30 p.m. Thousands joined in the event. The protestors were physically attacked in Kannur and the state government filed cases against 1400 unidentified participants.
People from 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, "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 showed support 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 28 September 2018, could be looked at again.
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.
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:
The nearest railway station is Chengannur known as the Gateway of Sabarimala. Chengannur (85 kilometres (53 mi)), Thiruvalla (88 kilometres (55 mi)) Kottayam (96 kilometres (60 mi)) are some of the closest accessible railway stations from Sabarimala. The nearest airports are Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (170 kilometres (110 mi)) and Cochin International Airport (160 kilometres (99 mi)). 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.
Special buses are arranged from different parts of the state to provide transportation to Kerala in anticipation of the yearly Mandala and Makaravilakku poojas performed at the temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa Swamy.
The Sabari Express, which stops at nearby stations like Chengannur, Thiruvalla and Kottayam, is frequented by devotees of this temple. During the peak season, the train is full of devotees looking to travel to the temple.