K.A.Viswanathan

 

The two months beginning from mid November are considered the most auspicious for Lord Ayyappa, during which period Mandala Pooja  is celebrated beginning from the first day of Karthikai month ending with Makara vilakku by mid-January.

 

During these months , one may start spotting people with black dress with a chain made of Rudraksha or Tulasi beeds and chanting Lord Ayyappa praises. Like Maharashtrians are seen fasting in the month of Shravan just before Ganapathi festivals, even South Indians observes fasting (vruth) for 41 days  and break it after visiting the shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala in Kerala. 

 

Matunga, Wadala and Central suburbs where South Indians  reside are dotted with Ayyappa mandals who are celebrating the event  with Ayyappa pooja , Rudrabhishekam, Sahasranamarchana, Laksharchanai  and Bhajans. The poojas are generally held during the week ends. Many conduct Ayyappa bhajans in their homes during late evenings and invite their neighbours, friends and relatives. The Mandals also take out procession of the Lord with ladies carrying lamps and men called velichappadu (oracle or prophet) dancing with dagger and sword in their hands. These  represents weapons of the Lord.

 

Sri Ayyappa Bhaktha Sangam at Matunga  is celebrating the Ayyappa puja for the past 63 years  at the Napoo Garden at Matunga .They conduct  laksharchana  and  devotional songs during the period. They also make the replica of  Ayyappa temple located at Sabarimala and Vavar mosque with the help of  plantain stems .

Sri Ayyappan, as the deity is popularly known as, is an incarnation of Dharma Shastha, a divine child born out of a celestial union of Shiva and Vishnu (in the form of Mohini , his only female avathar) for the fulfillment of dharma on earth. The Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala, is one of the few Hindu temples in India, which is open to all faiths. Lord Ayyappa is a symbol of religious unity and communal harmony. One can also find the shrine of Vavar, the Muslim confidant of Lord Ayyappa near the main temple.

 

During Mandala days devotees observe certain austerities (vruthum) by wearing a Thulsi or a Rudraksha mala (beads)  with a locket of Lord Ayyappa and a blue, yellow or black robe, a total detachment from worldly pleasures and strict diet control without  non vegetarian food or alcohol. The main aim of the Vrutham is to purify the mind and soul. 

 

The mala is worn either at a temple or in one’s own house after performing a simple pooja and is received from a temple priest or from a guruswami amidst chanting of ‘Swami Saranam’(surrendering everything to God). Towards the end of the mandala vrutham, the devotees prepare for the strenuous journey to visit the Sannidhanam(sanctum sanctorum) in Sabari hills, which is the abode of the Lord.

 

The temple is situated on a steep hilltop at an altitude of 468 m (1535 ft) above mean sea level, and is surrounded by mountains and dense forests. The Ayyappa Swamis, as the devotees are called, carry Irumudi, a head load of offerings, in a two compartment bag, which includes coconuts filled with ghee, rice and flowers. 

 

Symbolically, the ‘ghee’ in the coconut represents the ‘soul.’, and the human body is represented by the coconut. After the arduous trek to sanctum sanctorum, when a devotee stands face to face with Ayyappa   – the ghee poured on the Lord symbolically represents the merging of the individual soul with the universal soul or the ‘Atma’ with ‘Paramatma.’ Finally, the empty coconut, which represents the body, is consumed by the fire in the ‘homakundam.’(havan). Every Devotee has to climb the 18 steps in front of the lord with Irumudi on the head before reaching the Sannidhanam.

 

People of all religions can visit the Sabarimala temple and there is no restriction of caste or creed . But there are certain restrictions on women. Only those below the age of 10 and above 50 years are allowed to undertake the journey , can observe fasting and are called 'Malikapuram' ( The Shakti of Lord Ayyappa). This is because the Lord is a chaste yogi in Sabarimala. 

 

The 18 steps at Sabarimala are covered in gold. Several myths persist regarding the significance of the ‘Pathinettu thripadikal’ or the 18 holy steps, but almost all of them stress the importance of the number 18. According to a popular belief, the first five steps signify the five senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin), the following eight – the ‘ragas’ (tatwa, kama, krodha, moha, lobha, madha, matsraya, and ahamkara), the next three – the ‘gunas, (satwa, rajas and thamas) followed by ‘vidya’ and ‘avidya’. 

 

Climbing these would take the devotee closer to self-realisation. The act of crossing 18 steps is so sacred that nobody can mount them without carrying the ‘irumudi’ It is also widely assumed that the 18 steps symbolise the 18 puranas, others believe that they connote the 18 weapons with which Lord Ayyappa obliterated evil.