All about sabarimala temple and swami sabarimala ayyappan

Sabarimala: There was music in the air and devotion in every beat. The hills reverberated to the beats of the drums as Cherusseri Kuttan Marar and his team, famous for leading the 'Thrissur Pooram.' This is the first time that the Thiruvambadi ensemble performed 'Ilanjithara Melam' in Sabarimala. Pariyarath Gopalakrishnan Nair on 'chenda,' Mani Nair on 'ilathalam' and Kumbhathu Anilkumar on 'kurunguzhal' and Thrissur Suni on 'kombu' led the 'Pandimelam.' Thousands of enraptured devotees started swaying to the rhythmic progression which lasted three hours. The performance was organised by the excise department as an offering to the deity. The symphony started at 4 in the evening.

Sabarimala: Thousands of Ayyappa devotees Saturday offered worship at the famous hill shrine here during the 'mandala pooja', which marked the conclusion of the first phase of the two-month-long pilgrimage season. The 'Sannidhanam' atop the holly hillock reverberated with the chant of "Swami saranam" as the pooja was performed by priests in the afternoon after the idol of Lord Ayyappa was adorned with the glittering golden attire 'Thanka Anki.' The temple witnessed a huge crowd of devotees from neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andha Pradesh and Kerala. The idol was adorned with 'Thanga Anki' (golden attire) for the Mandala pooja and Deepaaradhana (Aarthi) in the evening. The ceremonial procession carrying the golden attire reached Sannidhanam yesterday from Sree Parthasarathy Temple at Aranmula. The temple recorded the highest ever revenue collection this pilgrimage season with the total earnings touching Rs 141.64...

The shortage of aravana continues to be severe in Sabarimala. Aravana is a blessing of the god. If devotees do not get this blessing when they leave after a glimpse of Ayyappa, they will be disappointed. Aravana of Sabarimala, chukku kashayam of Mookambika, palpayasam of Ambalappuzha, unniappam for Kottarakkara Ganapathi, etc, are special offerings. Each god is believed to have a different personality. Sabarimala Ayyappan is believed to be an eternal bachelor. That is why 41 days of abstinence is prescribed before the holy sight. The food of devotees is also special. Papad and onion are excluded to keep their food pure and to prevent their minds from vacillating. This is also the speciality of the offering: It must inspire maximum belief in god. Aravana fully realises that belief. The Sabarimala aravana is a special mixture. The mix is prepared by adding 8 kilos of jaggery, 200 grams of ghee, rock sugar, dried ginger powder and cardamom to 1 kilo of rice. From ancient days, arav...

Event date:  27-12-2014 Venue: Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala Location: Sabari Hills in the Western Ghats District: Pathanamthitta Mandala Pooja is the last day of 41 days long austerity observed by devotees of  Lord Ayyappa . The fasting begins 41 days before Mandala Puja i.e. on the first day of  Vrishchikam Masam according to Malayalam Calendar.  Mandala Puja and  Makar Vilakku  are the two most famous events at Sabarimala Ayyappa temple when the temple is kept open for devotees for most of the days.  Welcome to one of the most famous pilgrim centres in India. The Sabarimala temple is located in the Sabari Hills, towards the east of Pathanamthitta District. The divine incantation amid the lush forests and grasslands and the thousands of people that visit this temple, irrespective of caste and creed, make it a very unique pilgrim destination. Lord Ayyappa is the presiding deity here. The annual pilgrim season to Sabarimala begins w...

Sabarimala (Kerala):  It is a unique post office, and one of its main tasks is to deliver letters to God. Located near the famed Hindu temple at the Sabarimala hills, the post office may perhaps be the only one in the country which doesn't work round the year.  It comes alive when the peak pilgrimage season of the Ayyappa shrine begins on the first day of the Malayalam month in November, and the period ends towards the middle of January.  The post office is also open for 10 days during the Vishu season.  Functioning six days a week from 8 in the morning to 8 at night, the six employees, led by 23-year-old Sai G Prakash, have a lot to do.  Prakash is happy to be here, and says he was a devotee of Lord Ayyappa.  "Our post office mostly gets invitation cards for weddings and shop openings addressed to Lord Ayyappa, obviously to seek divine blessings," Prakash said.  Most such mail come from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, he said.  But t...

இருமுடிப் பிரியனே சரணம் ஐயப்பா' - இது மாலை அணிந்து விரதம் இருந்து ஐயப்பனை தரிசிக்க புறப்படும் ஒவ்வொரு ஐயப்ப பக்தரின் இதயத்தில் இருந்தும் எழும் உணர்ச்சி மிகுந்த கோஷம்! நாற்பத்தொரு நாள் (ஒரு மண்டலம்) விரதம் கடைபிடித்து சபரிமலை யாத்திரை புறப்படும் பக்தர்கள் இருமுடி கட்டி புறப்படுவார்கள். ஐயப்பன் வழிபாட்டில் இருமுடி மிகவும் புனிதமானது. தனது உடலையும், உள்ளத்தையும் தூய்மையாக்கி மனம் உருகி ஐயப்பனை வேண்டும் பக்தர்கள் அய்யனின் திருமேனி அபிசேகத்துக்கு நெய்யயும், பூஜை பொருட்களையும் கட்டி சுமந்து செல்வது தான் இருமுடி. இருமுடியை கோவிலில் வைத்தும் கட்டலாம். வீடுகளில் வைத்தும் கட்டலாம். வீடுகளில் வைத்து கட்டும் போது சபரிவாசனே அங்கு வாசம் செய்வான். அவன் அருள் ஒளி வீசும். இருமுடி கட்டும் நாளில் வீட்டை சுத்தப்படுத்தி ஐயப்பன் படத்தை மலர்களால் அலங்காரம் செய்து படத்தின் முன்பு நெய்விளக்கேற்றி வைக்க வேண்டும். இருமுடி கட்டுவதற்காக வரும் குருசாமியை வாசலில் பாதபூஜை செய்து வீட்டுக்குள் அழைத்து வர வேண்டும். குருசாமி வந்ததும் பூஜைகளை தொடங்குவார். அப்போது அய்யப் பக்தர்கள் பஜனை பாடல்களை பாடுவார்கள். இரு...

Nearly five million pilgrims  are expected to visit the revered Ayyappa temple here when it opens Monday for a two-month pilgrimage season, officials said.Located on the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats 914 metres above sea level, the Sabarimala temple is four kilometres uphill from Pamba river in Pathanamthitta district, around 100 km from Thiruvananthapuram. VS Jayakumar, the executive officer overseeing the temple affairs, told IANS that more than 4.5 million pilgrims visited the temple during the last pilgrimage season. "This time we expect a 10 percent increase in the numbers," he said, adding that temple authorities were providing better facilities vis-a-vis healthcare and other amenities. Although the temple is open on the first few days every month of the Malayalam calendar, the peak pilgrimage season begins on the first day of the Malayalam month in November and ends on the first day of the Malayalam month in January. The more serious pilgri...

Sannidhanam: Police at Sannidhanam have resorted to a different kind of punishment to the devotees who came drunk to visit the Lord Ayyappa. The police have given a punishment to them to chant the ‘Sarana mantra’ for 108 times. Since the start of the mandala season, around 30 people have been caught by the police for being drunk at Sannidhanam. Police said that measures have intensified to check and stop the flow of liquor to the holy abode of Lord Ayyappa.

Sannidhanam: Malayalam actor Jayaram and his actor-son, Kalidasan came to visit Sabarimala on Wednesday evening. They have come after following strict penance and carrying the customary ‘Irumudi’. After paying homage to Lord Ayyappa and Malikappuram, the two sought the blessing of the tantri and chief priest. The two also took part in the cleanliness drive ‘Punnyam Poomkavanam’ here on Thursday morning before descending the holy abode of Lord Ayyappa.