Pilgrims by the thousands undertake the pilgrimage to Srivinayak at Sabarimala in south India. Notice that there are NO women here - this is an all male preserve - the Sabarimala pilgrimage!
Located in Pullumedu in Kerala's Idukki district, Sabarimala hosts the ritual of 'Makara Jyothi' at Sree Ayyappa Temple in Pathanamthitta district.
This is the same location where a tragic stampede took place on the 14th of January 2011, and perhaps over a hundred people were killed. Going by the crowds and the narrow access lane, this was almost a foregone conclusion.
Vavar (pronounced Vaa-var), also known as Vavaraswami was a Muslim saint who became a devotee of Lord Ayyappan. There is a shrine dedicated to Vavaraswami at Sabarimala, as well as Varaswamis mosque at Erumeli next to an Ayyappa temple. The devotion of Vavaraswami to Ayyappan and the key role that the Islamic Masjid has in the Ayyappa Pilgrimage, highlights the communal harmony in Kerala. The devotion of Vavaraswami also highlights the relevance of Ayyappa devotion for members of all faiths, and the equality shown to all, whether they are Muslims, Hindus or Christians.
Sabarimala (0929 North 7706 East) is situated in the midst of 18 hills, in a bowl of land blessed with a small rivulet named `Urakuzhi Theertham'. The area is in the hilly regions east of Kerala bordering Tamilnadu. Elevation above mean sea level is approximately 1260 Metres/4135 Ft. Temples existed in each of the hills surrounding Sabarimala. While functional (and intact temples) exist at many places in surrounding areas like Nilackal, Kalaketi, Inchiparakotta and Karimala, remnants of old temples are visible in the remaining hills.
From the international airport of Thiruvanathapuram (erstwhile Trivandrum), Sabarimala is located at 010 degrees/115 Kms. Similarly, from the international airport at Kochi (erstwhile Cochin) it is located at 118 degrees/106 Kms. These distances are `direct air distances or distances `as the crow flies'.
The pilgrimage to Sabarimala is a singular example of a pilgrimage where pilgrims, without consideration of caste, creed, position or social status, go with one mind and one `mantra' dreaming constantly of the darshan of the presiding deity a the Holy Sannidhanam
Kerala is a land of temples; perhaps the best known pilgrimage destination in Kerala is Sabarimala, high up in the Sahyadri Mountains(western ghats). Sabarimala Sri Dharmasastha Temple is the most famous and prominent among all the Sastha
