Sabarimala Ayyappa is the men-only pilgrimage and the antiquity of the deity reveals a blend of myth and history. Women between the age of nine and fifty are barred. One version goes back to the period of devas (gods) and danavas (demons), when Mount Manthara was the churning stick placed on the back of the tortoise form of Vishnu. The snake Vasuki was used as rope to churn ksheerasagara (ocean of milk) to get at amrit (nectar) that would confer immortality.

         This churning resulted first in kalakootha (poison), which was promptly swallowed by the compassionate Shiva to save the universe from annihilation. His throat turned blue thus giving rise to the name Neelkantha. Then the churning yielded various assets like kamadhenu (divine cow) and the kalpavriksha tree. But when finally amrit came out, the danavas were ready for battle of possession. To distract them, Vishnu transformed himself into the irresistible enchantress Mohini, so that the devas could have all of the nectar to themselves. The danavas were beguiled and the devas got their amrit. But Shiva was equally attracted.

         Out of the union of Mohini(Vishnu) and Shiva came Ayyappa, also known as Hariharaputra (Hari Vishnu, Hara-Siva, Putra-son). Siva left for his Mount kailas, leaving the baby under a tree on the banks of the river Pampa. The story moves from the heavenly characters to the childless king of Pandalam, a thriving kingdom in south Kerala. The Pandyan king Rajasekhara, out on a hunt, spotted the baby and brought it to the palace to his queen, who was overjoyed.

         She, however, later bore the king a son and so resisted Ayyappa being declared heir. To get him out of the way, she sent him to fetch tiger's milk which she said was needed to cure her ailment. Ayyappa set out alone, starting at Erumeli (south-east of today's Kottayam). In the jungle, Ayyappa met Lord Indra who was harassed by the demoness Mahishi. A battle ensued and since Ayyappa was Hariharaputra, he slew Mahishi. A grateful Indra thereupon provided Ayyappa with a tigress's milk and a tiger as mount.

         Whereas the conniving queen did not expect to see him back alive, the young god returned triumphant and forgave her. An abode atop Sabarimala was earmarked and that becomes the yearly destination of the likes of the black mundu clad hi-tech computer engineer of Bangalore. Pilgrims like him come from Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Karnataka and Kerala. Ayyappa at Sabarimala is celibate and the story is that after he killed the demones Mahishi, she reverted to her original form of a goddess.

         Smitten by the young god Ayyappa, she proposed marriage to him, but he said he would remain a bachelor unless pilgrims stop visiting his shrine. That is highly unlikely, as the 2 month season of mid-November to mid-January will see three crore pilgrims offering worship... and the numbers grow every year. Since the shrine is atop a hill in a lush, forested and mountainous area of the Western Ghats, there are several options on routes. The most used is the one starting at Irumeli, reached by road, 78 km from Kottayam, which is the nearest railhead.

         It was at Irumeli that Ayyappa had set out to get the tiger's milk for the 'ailing' queen. Pilgrims congregate here, ready to replicate his journey. They perform a Puja under a guruswamy (chief devotee) and go in a group with him. They do the Petta Thulal (dance of the hunters) after painting their torsos, waving weapons, wearing arrows in their head bands. The ritual is in memory of the holy dance Ayyappa did on the mortal body of Mahishi.

         The dance indicates that the pilgrim has forgotten his self and he shouts swamiya Saranam Ayyappa (O Lord Ayyappa I come to thee for refuge). Irumeli has an Ayyappa shrine of the Lord in the form of a hunter with bow and arrow. But nearby is the Vavar shrine. Vavar, a Muslim warrior was once Ayyappa's adversary and then a faithful follower who attained sainthood. The pilgrims light camphor and offer worship at the Vavar shrine, accept sacred ash as prasad.

         The dancers chant Ayyappa thin-thakka-thom in full throated cadence to the accompaniment of reeds and drums, casting off all their vanity and man made distinctions. Among the pilgrims are Christians and Muslims and they take the purificatory bath at Erumeli like everyone else. The pilgrimage actually starts only after the Petta Thulal dance. The devotees carry an irumudi (iru-two, mudi compartments), a bag that has a sealed coconut filled with ghee while the other compartment has food articles needed for the barefoot 48 km trek through valleys, rivers and forest.

         On the trek, the devotee subsists on and empties the eatables, exhausting the prarabdha karma (worldly desires) and retains only the body (coconut) and the ghee (soul). The ghee when poured on the idol, signifies merging the sould with the Supreme. The pilgrimage walks two days intensely.Their firt hault is at kalakitti,a place where Mahishi was Killed & also at Kalidumkundra people throw stones & after that they reach at Pampa. Some devotees, walking barefoot, even had one bandaged foot and yet overtook me.

         Their yells, wali, wali kodu (way, give way) still ring in ears,and they continued their loud, rhythmic Swamiye Saranam..Ayyappa Saranam. The plateau is known as Sannidhyam, They represent the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita, and some say they represent the 18 types of weapons Ayyappa had used to vanquish the demoness Mahishi. They are said to have been built by the mythical Vishvakarma, and nowhere else are the steps of a shrine held as sacred as those at Sabarimala.

         The srikovil is small, the roof recently plated with gold by the corporate UB group, and the idol of Ayyappa is only 2.1/2 ft. tall, but has a commanding presence full of prana (life). The darshan was exhilarating. Ayyappa squats in a yogic asana, wears a band round his knees with fingers in chinmudra position. The left hand is extended and round his neck there is a little bell. The devout ahead of me were overcome with emotion, some in tears, others saying they did not even remember climbing those holy 18 steps. As I moved after having darshan, I was dazzled by the gold plated roof in the cornice of which, a golden Ayyappa rode his tiger.

Guidance for journey

• Kottayam is a major railway station from where the road is 78 km to Erumeli ( a 5 hour bus ride) .
• From Erumeli, the 48 km trek should be attempted by the very fit and usually with a group, under a guru. Gurus can be located by asking around Ayyappa (Sastha) temples in your city/town.
• By road, from Erumeli to Pampa takes 5 hours. From Pampa, the climb is 7 km., the first 3 kms. of which are steep.
• For those unable to climb and for the infirm, dolis (litters) with four persons are available at Pampa to carry people up (Rs.400). At the hill top or Sannidhyam.They start climbing from Pampa at midnight, reach in the morning and return to the plains by evening. At Sannidhyam, accommodation is alfresco or railway platform style, under a hangar-like roof near the shrine.
• Guest houses and other accommodation is possible (Rs.100-450) by writing to the temple authorities several weeks in advance. Address: Travancore Davaswom Board, Thiruvananthapuram-3, Kerala. You must carry their reply with you to get accommodation. There are restaurants, tea shops, religious goods shops & good medical facilities at the hilltop.