Though there are numerous temples dedicated to Lord Ayyappan, notable among them are the
temples along the Western Ghats. They are, Kulathupuzha – Lord Ayyappan is a child here, Aryankavu – A bachelor here, Achankovil - here he is worshipped as Dharmasastha with his wives, Poorna and Pushkala, and Sabarimala - here he is a yogi, meditating for all.Sabarimala Pilgrimage
Pamba River is the most important spot on the way to Sabarimala Temple. Devotees take a holy dip here and proceed towards the Neelimala Hill. Traditions say that the Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple and the deity of Lord Ayyappan have always been highly regarded by Pandalam Raja. As such, it is not considered good to move forward to the temple without the king's knowledge and permission. Even today, there is a representative of the king who sits on a raised platform at the base of the Neelimala Hill. The pilgrims offer their respects to him and the pilgrimage starts from here. After a 6 km trek up the Neelimala Hill is the holy abode of Lord Ayyappan.
Devotees then reach the Pathinettampadi, the holy eighteen steps, in the front side for mounting to the main temple of Sree Dharma Shastha. Only the pilgrims who carry Irumudi Kettu are permitted to climb the Holy Eighteen Steps. Other pilgrims make their entry to the temple on the northern side.
Sabarimala Temple Structure & Features
The temple for Lord Ayyappan is built on a plateau which is about 40 feet high. This ancient temple consists of a sanctum sanctorum with a copper-plated roof and four golden finials at the top, two mandapams, the belikalpura that houses the altar and the flag-staff. The idol of Lord Ayyappan is made in panchaloha - also called Panchaloham which literally means "five metals". The shrine of Lord Ganesh, known as Kannimula Ganapati, is to the south-west of the main temple.
Next is the shrine of Malikappurathamma (Malika Purathamma is also known as Manjamatha) which is about 100 meters away. The holy tank called Bhasma Kulam (Bhasmakkulam) is on the way to this shrine. Numerous devotees take a holy bath here. The temple of Malikappurathamma is situated on a small hillock and houses the shrines of the Devi and Kaduthaswamy. The shrines of the snake god and goddess, Nagaraja and Nagayakshi, are to the left of this temple. An interesting feature is that the tribes beat on drums, play stringed instruments and sing sarppa pattu to protect devotees from the harmful effects of snakebites.
The two shrines of Kaduthaswamy and Karuppaswamy, who stand like dwarapalakas or guardians of the holy steps, are seen at the foot of the Patinettampadi. Another important aspect is that near the Patinettampadi is the shrine of the Muslim Vavurswami. It is believed that he was a warrior who was defeated and controlled by Ayyappan. Later he became a close friend such that the Lord himself instructed the Pandalam king to build a mosque for Vavur at Erumeli and a shrine at Sabarimalai.
The Vavur deity is believed to be an ancient one and the poojas are conducted by a Muslim priest. Though there is no idol, people worship a carved stone slab which is represented as the deity. There is a green silken cloth which is hung across one wall and an old sword. Green pepper is the special offering here. Some devotees also bring a goat to offer to Vavurswami, in a belief that they would reach the temple safely. It is said that the design of the Lord Ayyappa temple is originated from the instructions of the Lord himself.
Sabarimala Temple Visiting Period
The main Sabarimala pilgrimage season is from November 14th to January 20th every year. The celebrations of Mandala Pooja (November) and Makaravilakku (January) are significant during this season. After Mandala Puja, the temple closes for five days earlier to re-opening for the Makaravilakku Mahotsavam. Pilgrims in large numbers also visit the temple in Onam which falls during the Malayalam month of Chingam and Vishu in the Malayalam month of Medam. Women between the age group of 10 - 50 are not supposed to visit the temple.
Sabarimala Darshan Timings
Sabarimala Temple opens at 4:00 am and is closed after noon pooja at 1:30 pm. Again it is opened at 5:30 pm and closed at 11:00 pm, after Harivarasanam Song.
Routes to Sabarimala Temple
There are three routes to Sabarimala - The Erumeli route, The Vandiperiyar route and the Chalakayam route. Erumeli route is the most difficult one and the pilgrims have to cover about 61 km on foot through forest and hill track. Pilgrims coming from Tamilnadu travel via Kottayam - Kumali (KK) road. On reaching Vandiperiyar, they turn to Uppupara which is only a walk of 6 km to Sabarimala. The Chalakayam route is the easiest of all. Chalakayam is near Pampa River and the temple is only 8 km from here.
Read a detailed article on various routes to reach Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple
How to reach Sabarimala Temple in Kerala
Sabarimala being an important pilgrimage center in Kerala, the Southern Railways and State Bus Transport corporations operate special trains and buses for the convenience of pilgrims during the Sabarimala season.
By Air
Trivandrum International Airport at Thiruvananthapuram (150 km) and Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery, Ernakulam (78 km) are the nearest airports to reach Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple.
By Rail
Chengannur Railway Station, Thiruvalla Railway Station and Changanacherry Railway Station are the nearest railway stations to reach Sabarimala Temple.
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