lionbikash

Let me tell about Lord Ayappa and his devotees;
The abode of Lord Ayaappa is Sabarimalai, situated in Kerala on the Neeleemalai Hills. In Kerala he is called Lord Sastha.
The puranik story goes something like this; after the churning of sea by the Gods and demons, Goddess Lakshmi came out with the pot of nectar. To deprive the demons from eating nectar, which would have made them immortal, Lord Vishnu took the form of Mohini, beautiful woman, to attract the demons, which she did. But she also attracted Lord Shiva. And from their union Lord Sastha was born. That’s why he is also called the (Harihara atmaja) son of Hari (VISHNU) and Hara (SHIVA).

Kerala tradition tells: King of Pandalam, while hunting in the forest of Sabarimalai, found a beautiful child. Being childless, he adopted the child. But soon the queen gave birth to a son. The queen wanted her own son to be made King instead of the adopted son Ayaappa. She feigned of sickness and conspired with the Royal Vaidya, who declared that only Tiger’s milk could cure the Queen. The queen sent Ayaappa to the forest to fetch tiger’s milk for her, expecting him to be killed by the tigers. But Lord Ayaappa went to the forest and came back with the whole lot of tigers from the forest. By seeing the sight of Lord Ayaappa mounted on Tiger and marching back with a horde of tigers, the king and queen realized his divine nature. Ayaappa left the Kingdom and made Sabarimali his abode.

Sabarimalai is also associated with the puranik character Sabari, who in her pursuit of marrying Ayaappa, made her abode at Sabaripeetham. It seems Lord Ayaappa promised her that the year when no new devotee would come to him, he will marry her. That’s why all fisrt timers have to carry a arrow along with him, which he keeps at Sarangutti, near Sabripeetham as a prove of his arrival.

On Makar Shankranti Day i.e. 14th of January, at dusk, a light called Makara Vilaku (Jyoti) appears from the mountains. To witness this divine light, lakhs of devotees from all the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh throng Sabarimalai. It seems it is the second largest congregation of devotees in a particulars place in a single day only second to Mecca.

The visit to Ayappa temple is strictly barred for women, only small children before their puberty and elder women after they reach menopause are allowed. There are lot of hue and cry by feminists and rationalists but till date the temple administration is strictly maintaining this tradition. No women are allowed beyond Pampa.

I shall tell about the Deeksha and pilgrimage to Sabarimalai in my next post.