Lord Ayyappan History, Sabarimalai Temple, And Worshipping Method

LORD AYYAPPAN HISTORY:

SWAMIYE SARANAM AYYAPPA

“OH LORD AYYAPPA” I SEEK REFUGE IN YOU…

Who Is Lord Ayyappa and His Childhood: 

    Lord Ayyappan is a popular Hindu god worshipped mainly in south India. According to theology, he was born out of the union between Lord Shiva and mythical Mohini (Lord Vishnu`s Avathar) so he is called as Harihara Putran. In this blog we are going to see Lord Ayyappan Swamy’s History, Sabarimalai Temple, And Worshipping Method.

    King Rajasekhara who was a king of Pandalam is a great devotee of Lord shiva and he along with his wife prayed the god for a child for a long time.

    One day he was returning from the forest after hunting while he was enjoying the beauty of the river pamba he heard the cry of a baby from the dense forest. Even though he was happy to see the child he hesitated to take the child to the palace, but a sage appeared before him and informed the king that the child is a gift from lord shiva and you can take him with you. 

    As the child was wearing a jewel around his neck he was named “Manikanda”, “mani” meaning bell, and “Kanda”.The queen was also happy to see the child and accepted him as a divine gift, he grew up in the palace of Pandalam.

Core Story of Lord Ayyappan:

Life And Legends: 

•    The was mastered in all vedas and arts quickly. He grew up as a charming, graceful, and courageous warrior. The guru of ayyappa soon recognized his divine power and asked to bless his blind and deaf son with sight and speech as ayyappa came to offer “Gurudhakshina”.
•    After few years the king and queen was blessed with a baby boy and named him as Raaja Rajan. The king planned to crown Ayyappa as next king but the prime minister of the palace was disappointed to hear that, because he thought he would be able to rule the country after the death of the king.
•     He began to think in many ways to deny ayyappa to being the next king and he met queen to evoke pessimistic feelings in her mind against ayyappa being the next king, When she has her own child who has the birth right to be the next king.
•     The minister convinced the queen and she agreed to create plan with him against ayyappa to make her own son Raaja Rajan become the next king. We are seeing Lord Ayyappan Swamy History, Sabarimalai Temple, And Worshipping Method
  

Manikandan Went To Forest: 

•   As the plan of the minister, the queen began to act as she was suffering from headaches and stomach pain, the king was so much scared and worried and he called for best and experienced physicians, but none of them was not able to cure her.
•    The minister brought a fake physician and he said the king that the queen can be saved only if she drink the milk of a lactating tigress. The king offered his country to the person who will brings the tigress milk, but unfortunately no one come forward, then at last ayyapan came but the king did not give him permission to go. But manikanda convinced his father and go to the forest.
•    He carried a bag on his head containing necessary foods for him. The panchabuthas of lord shiva was following manikandan while he was going to the forest. But on the way to the forest he saw the atrocities of demoness mahishi.

Ayyappa (or) Manikanda Realising the Purpose Of His Life: 

•     On his to the forest, he understood the purpose of his incarnation on earth. As mahishi had a boon that she can only be killed by the son of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Mahishi was angrily waiting to destroy the devas and their place.
•    Manikandan was his way to the forest, had a fight with mahishi, Lord shiva who is atching all this came down to earth with Devi parvathi on his Rishaba Vahana Ox.He tied his vahana(ox) on a tree in the forest and watched manikandan fighting with mahishi.
•    The place where Lord shiva tied his vahana is now called as kaalaikatti. It is on the bank of River Azhudha on the way to Sabarimalai, now there is a shivan temple at kaalaikatti.

Manikandan Defeated Demoness Mahishi:

•     Manikandan defeated mahishi and threw her on the ground, doubting that she was not died, manikandan threw big stones on her to confirm that she will not come again.
•    That place is called as Kallidum Kunru in the Azhudha Hill, even now pilgrims took a stone from the Azhudha river and throw it in that placing considering as Mahishi`s defeat.

Manikandan Blessed Mahishi: 

    After defeating mahishi, manikandan blessed mahishi to reach heaven and she got relieved from her past curse by dying from the hands of god himself and she prayed manikandan to marry her, but the god refused saying that his birth on earth had different purpose and he has to live as Brahmachari.

    But mahishi insisted, so the god told her that she can abode in the same the forest which he is meant for him and assured her that whenever the new devotee will stop coming to see him at that time he will marry her.

Maligapurathamman: 

•     After that mahishi took abode near the Sannidhanam with the name of Maligapurathamman.Till today she is eargerly waiting to marry Ayyappan whenever there is no new devotees will visit Ayyappan. But every year there is thousands of new devotees(kanni samis) is visiting ayyappan. 
•    When the new devotees visit the temple they bring a sharp bamboo stick called Saram and fix it on a tree at a place called `Saram Kuthi`.It is believed that when there is no saram Lord Ayyappan would marry her.
  

Lord Ayyappa Return from Forest: 

•     On Ayyappan killing Mahishi Lord Shiva and all devas were very much happy and praises Ayyappan.Lord Indra along with all other devas, was voluntarily become tiger and tigresses,accompanied Ayyappan to back to the palace.
•     Ayyappan entered the pandalam palace sitting on a tiger with a huge group of tigresses,seeing this everyone in the palace was shocked and running for life.
•     A sage told in the forest that manikandan`s purpose of birth would be known at his age of 12, now he reached the age of 12 and then the king Rajasekhara realized that manikandan was not an ordinary child.
•     The queen and the diwan realized their mistake and fell at manikandan`s feet for their pardon. But manikandan told them that everything happened for a reason, was not their mistake.
•     Then king Rajasekhara requested him take up the throne which was his dream of life, but manikandan politely refused and said, taking up the throne and becoming a king was not the purpose of his life, his duty on earth is over and need to do penance to reach kailash.

Lord Ayyappan Swamy History, Sabarimalai Temple, And Worshipping Method:

Rajasekara Construct a Temple for Manikandan:

    King Rajasekara wished to construct a temple for Manikandan in a place where he chooses.

    Manikandan shoot a arrow with his bow, saying that he would be on Thapas where the arrows falls.The place where the arrow fell is called Sabarimala. Which is already a holy place, there an old woman called sabari who is great devotee of Lord Rama lived.  

   She was always chanting about Rama and wanted to meet him atleast once in her life and Rama met her in that place and accepted her hospitality.

Ayyappa Temple Sabarimalai: 

     Manikandan told he would be meditating in sabarimala and will called as Ayyappan by his devotees. He also told that whoever visits him had to undergo a severe Bhrahmacharya Vratham and must be away from all the pleasures for 41 days before coming to Sabarimala. 

     King Rajasekara felt very sad to see Ayyappan as a sanyasi with saffron clothes whom he wants to see as King.

    Ayyappan assured to Rajasekar that every year on Makara Shankranthi he will give Darshan to the world as a  king with all costumes and weapons, he also said that he will appear in the form of jyothi on that day, which takes place till today on every Shankranthi

Lord Ayyappan and Sabarimalai Temple :

•     Manikandan started to Sabarimala on his celestial journey. The advice of Sage Agasthiyar to the king Rajasekara, he laid the foundation of constructing the Shrine of Ayyappan in the said place. 
•     But the king Rajasekara did not known how to personify the picture of Ayyappan in the temple, Sage Parasurama helped him and carved the image of Lord Ayyappan and installed it on the day of Makara Shrankranthi.
•    The day of makara Shankranthi, the jewels, clothing and weapons where brought from the Pandalam palace to Sabarimala to be adorned by the Lord.
•    The Thiruvabaranam (jewel box) is carried by the person belonging to the pandalam King`s family.
•    The Thiruvaabaranam was kept at a Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Temple at Aranmula as a ritual, A Garuda accompanies Thiruvaabaaranam from Pandalam to Sabarimala. Lord ayyappan is seen sitting on his “peethom” with his right hand showering blessings to his devotees.
•    Only the day of Shankranthi where everyone will get the Darshan of God dressed up like a King. On the day of Marakara Shankranthi, a star appears on the sky at a particular time in the evening, after that Marakara Jyothi will appear at the hill called Ponnambala Medu.
•    Till today many devotees witness this special occasion every year while chanting “Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa.” Lord Ayyappan Swamy’s History, Sabarimalai Temple, And Worshipping Method is a very important things to know.

How to Worship Lord Ayyappa:

•     There is also a shrine for Sri Vavar near the sannidhanam named as Vavar Nada. Vavar first had a fight with Ayyappan while on his way to Sabarimala.
•    Later he came to know about the power of lord Ayyappan power he surrendered to him.
•    Then Ayyappan accepted him as a best friend who helped Ayyappan throughout his journey Sabarimala.
•     After that Ayyappan bless his friend Vavar to abode with him Sabarimala.
•     Till today people who start their trek from Erumel visit the Vavar mosque first which is situated opposite the Dharma Sastha temple to seek blessing and guidance throughout their  hilly forest journey.
•    There are also many other temples situated in Sabarimala, which are named Sri Ganapathy, Naagar, Maaligapurathamman, Nava Graham, Kochu Kadutha Swamy and Valiya Kadutha Swamy.
• Sabarimala temple is the world`s second-largest annual pilgrimage next to Haj.

Mandala Kaalam:

Manadakalam is one main part of the Lord Ayyappan Swamy History, Sabarimalai Temple, And Worshipping Method.

•     Malayalam month of Vrischikam in mid-November. The devotees must have their entire concentration on Lord Ayyappan, They begin their fast on the first day of the Tamil Month Karthigai that is November 15.
•     Devotees who visit the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple should compulsorily wear the Ayyappa Mala. This Mala is worn after beginning the Vratam to visit the Sabarimala Shrine.
•     Usually, the Ayyappa Mala is worn in a local Ayyappa temple or any other temple near the house. during the days of Mandala Pooja is approximately from November 15 to December 26 Makara Shankranti at January 14 and Maha Thirumal Shankranti is April 14. The temple is also open during the first five of days of all Malayalam months.

Significance of Worshipping Ayyapa and Worshipping Method:

   There is no need to look for an auspicious day or week to begin the fast. The Devotees can start their Sabarimala Pilgrimage after fasting for at least 41 days.

   The believers must wear Tulasimani or Rudhraksha that has 108 or 54 beads in them along with an Ayyappan Portrait and it must be worn in front of the Guru who had gone to Sabarimala several times.

Sabarimalai Temple and Prasadam: 

•      The prasadam at Sabarimala temple is Aravana payasam and Appam. These are prepared by using rice, ghee, sugar, jaggery, etc. The rice needed to prepare the prasadam at Sabarimala temple is supplied by Chettikulangara Devi Temple, the second largest temple under the Travancore Devaswom Board situated at Mavelikkara. 
•    The Chief Commissioner, the Travancore Devaswom Board said that the board has appointed Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore as a consultant for providing technical guidance to ensure the quality of Aravana, Appam, and other prasadam preparations at Sabarimala temple.

Ayyappan 108 Sarana Gosham:

Ayyappan Song:

Above we look at Lord Ayyappan Swamy’s History, Sabarimalai Temple, And Worshipping Method now we are going to see Ayyappan Saranam.

•    Harivarasanam is recited before closing the temple door every night. The Harivarasanam prayer, which is sung at Sabarimala is a Urakkupattu. It is composed by Kambangudi Kulathur Srinivasa Iyer in Sanskrit. 
•    It is said that Srinivasa Iyer used to recite the composition after the Athazha Puja, standing in front of the shrine of Ayyappa in the main temple. 
•    With the efforts of Swami Vimochanananda, it came to be accepted as a lullaby by the Tantri and Melshanthi. The composition has 352 letters, 108 words in 32 lines in 8 stanzas. 

• Lord Ayyappan Swamy History, Sabarimalai Temple, And Worshipping Method are most auspicious to know.