Sabarimala Pilgrimage Season to Begin on November 16
Another Mandalam season is here. Starting November 16, devotees will start flocking to Sabarimala seeking the darshan of their favorite deity Ayyappan.
Lord Ayyappa – His shrine at Sabarimala attracts over 100 million devotees during the annual pilgrimage season that lasts just 60 days.
Ayyappan is a unique deity in many aspects; so is his temple situated in the midst of a dense forest at a height of about 3000 feet from sea level. One of the most interesting things about Ayyappan is that he is not a Vedic god. There is no mention of him in Hindu Puranas, Vedas or Upanishads. Of course, some creative minds have weaved stories that claim that he is the son of Lord Shiva and Mohini (the female form that Lord Vishnu assumes to recover nectar from Asuras).
Mohini enchants Shiva
When Lord Vishnu assumed the form of a beautiful woman (Mohini), he had just one goal. He wanted to enchant the Asuras (demons), take their attention off the pot of nectar and return it to Devas (gods). His Mohini was so beautiful that Asuras forgot just about everything as soon as they saw her and Mohini had little difficulty making off with the pot of nectar, but the story doesn’t end there. The legend has it that when Lord Shiva saw Mohini, he was enamored. A baby boy was born out of their union. The child was born with a chain of beads (‘mani’ in Malayalam) around his neck (‘kandam’ in Malayalam and Sanskrit).
Shiva gave the child to the King of Pandalam who was his ardent devotee. The King had no child of his own and was delighted to receive the boy as a gift from the God. They called him Manikandan (one who has beads around his neck). The king and the queen raised the boy with great love and affection and taught him all that was there to learn. When he was still in his teens, Manikandan left the palace to perform tapas (severe austerities) in the forest called Sabarimala. A shrine was later built there and Manikandan became Ayyappan or Dharma Sastha to millions of Indians. Incidentally, there is a reference to Sastha in Ramayana.
Sree Dharma Sastha Temple
The hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa is one of the busiest pilgrimage centers in the world
The Sree Dharma Sastha Temple at Sabarimala dedicated to Lord Ayyappan is the most famous Sastha Temple in the whole of India. Most of the devotees here are from the five South Indian states. In spite of his huge standing in South India, Ayyappan is a relatively unknown deity in North India. But for South Indians he is Kaliyuga Varadan (the lord whom I should worship in Kaliyuga for obtaining salvation) and Hariharasuthan (the son of Hari (Vishnu) and Haran (Shiva).
Unlike other Hindu temples in Kerala where non-Hindus are denied entry, the Sabarimala Dharma Sastha Temple is open to people following all castes, creeds and religions. Of course, the vast majority of the pilgrims are Hindus, but the temple also receives some devotees belonging to other religions. Near the temple to the east of Sannidhanam (the abode of Ayyappa), there is a shrine dedicated to the Sufi saint and warrior Vavar. He was a close friend of Ayyappa and devotees are required to obtain his darshan before visiting the shrine of Ayyappa. Vavar Swami and his temple are the epitome of the secular legacy of Kerala.
The Sabarimala temple is not open throughout the year. The pilgrim season begins on the first of the Malayalam month of Vrishchikam and ends on the first day of Makaram (January 14/15). In 2016, the pilgrimage season starts on November 16. Starting this day, devotees will be able to access the temple for 41 days. After 41 days, the temple will close for a few days and again open for Mandalapooja. The pilgrimage season ends with Makaravilakku which is celebrated on Makar Sankranti (January 14/15).
