Complete Guide about Sabarimala Sastha Temple
Sabarimala Sastha Temple
About Sabarimala Sastha Temple
Of all the Sastha temples in Kerala, Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, which is devoted to Lord Ayyappa, is the most well-known and significant.It is unusual that the temple is located on a hilltop called Sabarimala in the Pathanamthitta district (about 3000 feet above sea level). All religious people are welcome to visit the temple. Vavaru Nada, a location close to the temple and east of Sannidhanam (the home of Lord Ayyappa), which is dedicated to Vavar (a close friend of Lord Ayyappa), is a model of religious harmony. This temple’s seasonal closure makes it one of a kind in another way. Only on the days of Mandalapooja, Makaravilakku, Vishu, and the first day of every Malayalam month is it accessible for worship.
Before travelling to Sabarimala, it is said that pilgrims must observe celibacy for 41 days. To get to the temple, pilgrims take both the less strenuous route from Pamba as well as the traditional forest routes.
Sabarimala Sastha Temple Official website Link www.sabarimala.kerala.gov.in
History and About Lord Ayyappa :
Valliyur, Tenkasi, Shengottah, Achankovil, and Sivagiri were among the residences of the Pandya dynasty that Thirumala Naicker, the former ruler of the erstwhile Pandya Empire spanning Madurai, Thirunelveli, and Ramanathapuram, drove out. Some of them from Chempazhanattu Kovil in Sivagiri were given the authority to rule Pandalam by the King of Travancore some eight hundred years ago after they had already established their dominance in some areas of Travancore. This dynasty was headed by King Rajashekara, the foster father of Lord Ayyappa.Rajashekara was regarded highly by his subjects as a just and able ruler. The area was in the midst of a golden age under him. The king’s only regret was that he was childless and lacked an heir to the throne. The unfortunate king and his queen fervently prayed to Lord Shiva for a child.
A demon by the name of Mahishasura engaged in severe penance (tapas) around the same time, and as a result, Lord Brahma was compelled to grant his request that no one on earth be able to destroy him. Brahma’s blessing gave Mahishasura the confidence to start systematically killing people and destroying tribes and communities. People fled to far-off lands because they were terrified and feared his wrath. The devas turned to Goddess Durga for help after realising that only a superhuman force could kill the rebel Mahishasura, and she engaged him in a bloody battle.
The sister of Mahishasura, driven by a desire to exact revenge on her murdered brother Mahishi, obtained a blessing from Lord Brahma that no one could kill her other than the children of Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Haran). Mahishi eventually made his way to Devaloka and started to bother the Devas, who then begged Lord Vishnu to step in and stop him. The male child born from the union of Mohini and Lord Shiva would be given to the care of Lord Shiva’s childless devotee, King Rajashekhara of Pandalam, because the boon stated that only the son of Lord Shiva & Vishnu could kill Mahishi. Lord Vishnu assumed the female persona of Mohini and helped the devas steal Amrit from the asuras.
King Rajashekara was contemplating the natural beauty of the surroundings and the waterfalls during one of his hunting expeditions to the forests near the River Pampa when he heard an infant’s cries coming from the forest. He was relaxing on the river’s banks at the time. He was shocked as he followed the sounds and discovered a lovely child frantically kicking its arms and feet. The confused king stood there and yearned to bring the youngster to his palace.As King Rajashekhara gazed upon the divine infant, a sadhu materialised out of thin air and commanded him to bring the child to his palace. The mendicant also promised him that when the boy turned twelve, Rajashekhara would be aware of his divinity and that the child would lessen the suffering of his dynasty. The sadhu instructed the King to give the child the name “Manikandan,” which means “one with a golden neck,” because he was wearing a gold chain.
Excited, Rajashekhara brought Manikandan to his house and told his queen about the events. Both of them believed that Lord Shiva himself had blessed them. Except for the Diwan, who had entertained dreams of succeeding Rajashekhara as king, everyone was dejected by the happiness of the royal couple.
Manikandan was a very bright and precocious child. He amazed his guru with his intelligence and superhuman abilities while excelling in shastras and martial arts. Pandalam was prosperous and at peace. Finally, Ayyappan’s guru came to the conclusion that the boy was a divine being rather than a regular mortal. Manikandan went up to his teacher after finishing his studies to give guru dakshina and ask for his blessings.The guru confirmed to Manikandan what he had already suspected about him, namely that he was a divine power destined for superhuman glory, as he went to his spiritual master for ashirwaadam (blessing). The guru then begged him to give his son, who was blind and deaf, vision and speech. As soon as Manikandan touched the guru’s son, the child developed speech and vision. Manikandan went back to the royal quarters and asked that this miracle be kept a secret from everyone.
A male child named Raja Rajan was born to the Queen in the interim. Rajasekara, who obviously thought of Lord Ayyappan as his eldest son, decided to crown Manikandan king after sensing that these miraculous events were somehow inextricably connected to him. Everyone became discouraged, with the exception of the King’s Diwan. This cunning minister hated Manikandan and devised numerous plots, including food poisoning, to eliminate the divine avatar. He secretly harboured kingly ambitions. Manikandan had a few close calls, but his body still carried a wound that no one could heal. The young boy was finally healed by Lord Shiva himself while dressed as a physician.
The Diwan’s schemes foiled, he informed the Queen that Manikandan should not succeed Rajasekara because her own son was still alive. Arthasastra encouraged her to pretend to be ill because he believes that any wrongdoing can be justified if it serves a higher purpose. He promised the Queen that he would have his doctor opine that the only cure for her illness was the application of tigress’ milk. Rajasekara’s love for Manikandan would remain unchanged even if he returned home without completing the task, forcing him to enter the forest where he would become prey to wild animals.The Queen promised to assist the Diwan and pretended to have a severe headache because she was so devoted to her own son.
The King became concerned and called for his doctors, who were helpless to revive the Queen who appeared to be ill.
Eventually, the Diwan’s sidekick said that she could only be cured of the illness if tigress milk was made available.
Rajasekara declared that anyone who could heal the unfortunate Queen would receive half of his kingdom.
Rajasekara’s team of soldiers, who were sent specifically to obtain the milk, came back empty-handed. Manikandan offered to assist, but the King refused, citing the boy’s young age and impending coronation as justifications for not going to the forest. Manikandan asked his father to help him out without getting upset. The boy took advantage of the moment and pressed Rajasekara to allow him to collect the milk. Rajasekara, ever the indulgent parent, quickly bowed to pressure. Rajasekara’s attempts to gather a group of courageous men to go with him into the forest were thwarted by Manikandan, who contended that the tigress would flee silently upon seeing the soldiers’ throng.Reluctantly Rajasekara bid farewell to his favourite son and made him take food stocks and three-eyed coconuts, in honour of Lord Shiva.
Manikandan entered the forest, being closely followed by the Panchabuthas of Lord Shiva. However, he had the opportunity to witness the demon Mahishi’s atrocities in Devaloka while travelling. Mahishi fell on the banks of the Azhutha River as a result of Manikandan’s enraged sense of justice throwing her to the ground below. Eventually, Manikandan mounted Mahishi’s chest and began a violent dance that reverberated throughout the earth and the Devaloka. This was followed by a swift and bloody battle. The Devas were terrified as well. When Mahishi realised the divine being on her was the child of Hari and Haran, she was chastened and fell to the ground in front of him before she passed away.
Lord Shiva and Mahavishnu arrived from a location called Kalakatti to witness this dance (It is said that Leela, daughter of Kavalan, a Karamban, with a face of Mahishi and freed herself from the curse and obtained Moksha by the grace of Shri Dharma Sastha, which is described in Sabarimala Temple as Malikapurathu Amma, by which name she has a temple there)
Manikandan left his fight with Mahishi and went into the forest to get a tigress’ milk. He received a darshan from Lord Shiva, who told him that despite having completed the divine plan, he still had one important task to complete. Manikandan was reminded of his grieving father and frail mother, and he received assurances that Lord Indran would help him acquire the highly sought-after tigress’ milk. Manikandan rode Lord Devendran to the Royal palace while wearing a tiger disguise. They were accompanied by male devas dressed as tigers and female devas dressed as tigresses.Upon seeing the boy and the tigers, the residents of Pandalam panicked and hastily sought safety. Soon after, the Sanyasi who had first manifested before Rajasekara in the forest when he heard a child’s cries reappeared, and he told the amazed Sovereign who Manikandan really was. As Manikandan and the tigers approached the palace gates, the King became quiet and thoughtful. From the tiger’s back, the boy descended and told the solemn King that he could get the milk from the tigresses and heal the Queen of the enigmatic ailment. Rajasekara lost control and collapsed at the boy’s feet, pleading with him for forgiveness after finally recognising his Queen’s deceit.The moment Manikandan headed for the forest, her illness had ended. Manikandan turned twelve on the day he came out of the forest.
Due to the fact that his Diwan was to blame for his son’s exile into the forest, King Rajasekara made the decision to punish him. Manikandan, however, advised restraint; he believed that everything had happened according to divine order and by God’s will. He also reminded his father that he would always come back to Devaloka once he had finished the task he had set out to complete. Before leaving, the boy assured the King that he would grant him any favour Rajasekara requested because he was moved by the latter’s unwavering faith and devotion.
The King Rajasekara informed him right away that they wanted to build a temple in his honour and pleaded with him to recommend a suitable location for the temple. Manikandan shot an arrow that landed at a location known as sabari, where a Sanyasini by the name of sabari observed Dhavam during the time of Sri Rama. After instructing the King to erect a temple there, Lord Manikandan vanished.
King Rajasekara later laid the cornerstone for the Sabarimala temple on the advice of Saint Agasthya. The devotees are expected to follow a way of life akin to that of a brahmachari, constantly reflecting on the goodness of life. Lord Manikandan had emphasised that he would only grant grace to those devotees who offer Darshan after observing forty-one days of penance or vrtha, which involves strict abstinence from family desires and tastes. They dress themselves in three-eyed coconuts and place food/Aantha garlands on their heads as they climb the steep slopes of Sabarimala, imitating the Bhagwan who bathed in the River Pampa while shouting the Saranam mantra and climbed the 18 steps to get tigress milk from the forest.
The sacred eighteen stairs leading to the temple complex as well as the shrine were built by King Rajasekara in due time. The Lord’s own words, “The River Pampa is a holy river as River Ganga, Sabarimala is as holy as Kasi,” came to mind as the King considered the difficult task of putting Dharmasastha’s idol in the temple for darshan. Parasuraman, who brought Kerala back from the brink of extinction, was dispatched by Dharmasastha to Sabarimala; it was he who carved the image of Lord Ayyappa and set it up on the day of Makarasankranthi.
Regardless of caste or creed, millions of people visit Sabarimala every year to offer garlands and irumudis, chant praises to Lord Ayyappa, take holy baths in the Pampa River, and ascend the 18 steps in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Dharmasastha, Lord Ayyappa.
Temple’s Significance
It is claimed that Lord Shiva gave the Atma Linga, which was once in Shiva’s heart, to Ravan as a reward for his penance. The Atma Linga’s covering is on display at the temple. According to Hindu traditions, all Gods achieved immortality and invincibility after worshipping Lord Shiva, it is also believed.
There are four more Pancha Kshetra in the state of Karnataka, namely Dharmasthala, Nanjanagud, Gokarna, and Dhareshwara. One of these is the Murudeshwar Temple.
The huge statue of Lord Shiva, which was constructed such that the Sun’s rays fall first on it, is the temple’s most eye-catching feature.
The Kailash Nath Mahadeva statue in Nepal is larger than this Shiva statue, which is located here at the temple of Murudeshwar.
A Deep is located inside the temple’s main shrine and is said to be burning exactly as it did when the temple was first constructed. People pour oil into the raging Deep and see their image in the oil in order to receive the blessing of the God for wealth and luck.
With a height of 237.5 feet, the enormous Gopuram at the entrance is thought to be the second-tallest Gopuram in the entire world. The tallest Gopuram is found at the Srirangam temple in Tamil Nadu.
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