Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple

Lord Sri Rama and his brother Lakshmana met Sabari, a tribal devotee, at Sabarimala. Sabari offered the Lord fruits after tasting them. But the Lord accepted them gladly and whole-heartedly. The Lord then turned and saw a divine person doing tapas. He asked Sabari who it was. Sabari said it was Shasta. Rama walked towards Shasta and the latter 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, Lord Dharma shasta stops his tapas to bless his devotees.and also it is called makara shankranthi [Note: there are many places with similar story of Sabari, no authentication of either exist.]

The most important event at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple is the Makara Jyothi (usually on January 14th). Thiruvabharanam or the sacred jewels of the Lord (presented by the Pandalam king) arrives at Sabarimala in three boxes. On the arrival of the jewel boxes the whole mountain reverberates to the chanting of ‘Saranam Ayyappa’ by millions of devotees gathered there to watch the event.

Harivarasanam is recited before closing the temple door every night. The Harivarasanam song, which is sung at Sabarimala is a Urakkupattu is composed by Sri Kambangudi Kulathur Srinivasa Iyer. It is said that Srinivasa Iyer used to recite the composition, after the Athazha Pooja, standing in front of the shrine of Ayyappa in the main temple. This significant ritual involves pouring sacred ghee brought by pilgrims in their Pallikettu or Irumudi on the idol of Lord Ayyappa. It symbolically means the merging of Jeevatma and Paramatma. While a Red coloured Irumudi is used by a pilgrim on his first journey(Kanni Ayyappan) to Sabarimala, others use Navy Blue till third year and thereafter saffron coloured Irumudi. The Prasadam at Sabarimala temple is Aravana payasam and Appam. These are prepared by using rice, ghee, sugar and jaggery. The rice needed to prepare the prasadam at Sabarimala temple is supplied by Chettigulankara Devi Temple, the second largest temple under the Travancore Devaswom Board situated at Mavelikkara.