sabarimala: What you might want to know about Sabarimala

NEW DELHI: The Sabarimala Temple in Kerala hit the headlines at the inauguration on Wednesday night for the first time after the Supreme Court's historic verdict to allow women ages 10 to 50 to pray there. A large number of followers have prevented the entry of women into this age group. Despite the long-standing controversy over the entry of women into the temple, many people still know little about the temple, its legends and its traditions. Here are some interesting aspects of the temple:

Who is Lord Ayyappa?

It is believed that Lord Ayyappa, the main deity of Sabarimala, is Hariharaputra, born of the union of Lord Vishnu in the form of Mohini (Hari) and the Lord of Shiva (Hara).

Manikandan, an incarnation of Lord Ayyappa, rediscovered the temple in the 12th century. Manikandan was a prince of the Pandalam dynasty. He was found by the king at the edge of a river. Later, as part of a conspiracy unleashed against him by a minister and the queen who wanted his own son to be crowned king, Manikandan was sent into the forest to bring the milk of a tigress. The conspirators hoped that he would be killed by the tigers. But they realized his divine origin when he returned to the tigress palace.

An example of Hindu and Muslim harmony

There is a mosque near the Sabarimala temple complex which is visited by Hindus and Muslims. In fact, visiting the Vavar Mosque is an integral part of the Sabarimala pilgrimage. Vavar was a Muslim friend of Manikandan, the incarnation of Lord Ayyappa. According to legend, he was a pirate who had been defeated by Lord Ayyappa in the war, after which he became a close associate. The faithful of Ayyappa visit the mosque throughout the some 160 days of the year when the Sabarimala temple is open to the faithful. Even when Muslims pray inside the mosque, Hindu worshipers walk around the mosque. Outside the mosque, there is a square near the main temple dedicated to Vavar which is called Vavaru Nada. There is no idol in this temple but a carved stone slab to symbolize Vavar and an old sword supposed to be his.

The North Indian Connection

The Sabarimala temple is also connected to Lord Rama. According to a legend, the name Sabarimala would be derived from Shabari, a faithful of the tribe of Lord Rama mentioned in the Ramayana. Sabarimala literally means Sabari Hill. Lord Rama had come to meet Shabari as predicted his guru Rishi Matanga. Lord Rama noticed a divine person doing penance and asked Shabari who he was doing. Shabari said that it was Sastha (Lord Ayyappa). Sastha also got up and welcomed Lord Rama. Makaravilakku, an annual festival, is being held in Makar Sankranti to commemorate this incident. The Sabarimala temple complex also houses a temple of Lord Rama and Hanuman.

The Buddhist connection

Many scholars see a Buddhist connection with Sabarimala. Lord Ayyappa is seen as an incarnation of the Buddha. The meaning of Sastha or Dharmasastha, other names of Lord Ayyappa, is interpreted as a teacher or preceptor in the Buddhist sense. It is said that Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa, the popular song of the faithful, echoes the Buddhist song Buddham Sharnam Gacchami.

Appam and Aravana

Appam, with another dish aravana payasam, is prasadam Sabarimala. Both are made of rice powder, jaggery, ghee and banana. Although aravana is sweet and edible, taking a bite out of appam has always been a difficult task to the letter. Only people with strong teeth could try to eat a whole. This becomes difficult because it is fried. The board of Travancore Devaswom has developed a new formula which will keep it fresh for at least 15 days and will also be less difficult.