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he
pilgrimage to the famous Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple,
70kms. from Pathanamthitta town of Kerala, is to purify
one's heart and soul through the 41day penance which is
mandatory for undertaking the annual pilgrimage to this
will shrine. The devotees of Swamy Ayyappan believe that
all impurities in the heart are burnt in the fire of
Bhakthi like the broken pieces of the ghee-filled
coconuts thrown into the large sacred fire place (Azhi)
in front of the Pathinettampadi, the holy 18 steps
infront of the Sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The
sojorn to Sabarimala, particularly on foot as was the
old practice, is agreat experience. In the old days it
used to take weeks and even months to walk down to
Sabarimala through the thick forests infested with wild
animals. |
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Even
now there are large number of pilgrims who follow the
traditional way of going on foot walking down hundreds
of kilometers, carrying their food and other materials
and cooking and eating them |
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The
Ayyappan cult has attained enormous popularity in the recent
years. The large number of devotees visiting Sabarimala
Ayyappa Temple and the construction of new Ayyappa temples in
different parts of India and even outside shows that the cult
is spreading fast.
The Ayyappa cult has spread from Kerala to Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh and Karnataka and is now moving even further North.
This Bhakthi cult is seen by many as an answer to the forces
which threaten Hinduism in
the modern world, such as conversion to Islam and Christianity
as well as the rise of militant nationalism in conjunction
with religious revivalism. |
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The
devotees of Sabarimala temple belongs to many castes and creed
and this universalism is the uniqueness of this temple.
It is even claimed that the Ayyappan cult is a proper religion
of the Kaliyuga, the dark age in which we live where men and
values are debased. Hence the writings on Ayyappan cult stress
the need for austerity and self-control, so that one may
withstand the prevailing negative tendencies of the modern
world.
There are numerous myths about Ayyappans prowess as a warrior
and they are well known and popular. Since he is the eternal
celibate, the link between sexual continence and spiritual and
physical power is strongly brought out.
This is also a prominent feature in the cult practice, since a
period of sexual abstinence of at least forty days is
mandatory for all who wish to go on pilgrimage to Ayyappan's
temple at Sabari Malai. An Anthropological study on the
Ayyappan Cult conducted by Lars Kjaerholm in the book
"Social Anthropology of Pilgrimage" said that the
popularity of Ayyappan cult is that is the egalitarian element
which is common to all Bhakthi cults. The devotees of Ayyappa
believe that "they are all equal in the eyes of Ayyappa".
Obviously the pilgrimage and the preparation time preceding it
are a welcome escape from the restrictions of traditional
hierarchic norms.
The
third aspect of the cult, closely linked to its egalitarian
tendency, is the aspirations to become a universal religion.
People of all castes, creeds and religions are welcomed
without the slightest reservation. The cult is truly open and
willing to accept all. The Ayyappa Seva Sangam and the
devotees firmly believe that Ayyappan cult is the religion of
the Kaliyuga, this most difficult and conflictridden and
debased period, in which we are now considered to live. It was
to help man overcome conflict and base lust, that Ayyappan
came into being, and hence the stress on brotherhood, love and
friendship between men of different castes and religion, as
well as the stress on asceticism in the cult practice.
The
book on "Social Anthropology of Pilgrim" in its
chapter on Ayyappan cult said, "The rapid spread of the
Ayyappan cult has the effect of revitalising Hinduism and
certain of its traditions. This revitalisation comes about
because the Ayyappa devotees realise that this new God is
identical to the ubiquitous and familiar Tamil village God,
Aiyanar. At many Aiyanar temples can be seen depictions of the
Mohini myth. Ayyappan/ Aiyanar was the son of Siva and Vishnu
in his female form, Mohini. However, the two Ayyappan/ Aiyanar
are still kept separate".
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