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Learn about the observations and practices before undertaking the pilgrimage
Devotees are required to observe 41 days of vrutham (celibacy and vegetarian diet) before embarking on the pilgrimage. On the eve before the visit, devotees participate in a ceremony called Kettunira in which they prepare the Irumudi kettu. Irumudi kettu is a small bag with two compartments. The front compartment of the bag is called munmudi, and back compartment is the pinmudi. Munmudi consists of offerings and Pooja items to the temple and the pinmudi is dedicated for carrying the personal belongings of the devotee
A place of sublime spiritual experience, Sabarimala is not a temple that you can visit everyday or anytime. There are various rituals associated with the temple and the pilgrimage that devotees are required to respect and observe before they embark on the trip. These include the following:
Mandala Vrutham starts with the Malayidal ritual. It refers to wearing a mala (chain of beads) around the neck, which is a symbol of the willingness to undertake austerity. The chain often contains a locket with the picture of Lord Ayyappa in it. With the Malayidal ritual, the period of abstinence officially commences. The Mala is often received either from a temple priest or a Guruswami (one who has completed 18 pilgrimages to Sabarimala). The Mala is taken off only after the pilgrimage is over.
Mandala Vratham is the observance of austerity that stretches across a period of 41 days before embarking on the pilgrimage. In this period, devotees are required to restrain from worldly pleasures, lead a simple life, develop discipline and adhere to healthy practices that will better their life. Prayers are offered to the Lord all through the day, and the devotees dress themselves in black, denoting detachment from material things. Haircutting, shaving and nail trimming are forbidden during this period.
The preparation of Irumudi kettu is one of the key rituals associated with the Sabarimala pilgrimage. Irumudi kettu is a small bag with two compartments that consists of offerings to the Lord in one, and personal belongings of the devotee in the other. The ritual of preparing the Irumudi kettu is known as Kettunirakkal. It is done under the guidance of Guru Swamy. As a part of the ritual, ghee is filled inside a coconut after the coconut water has been drained out. This stands for the draining out of worldly pleasures and replacing them with spiritual thoughts. Irumudi kettu is prepared and it stays with the devotees until they reach Sabarimala. No devotee without Irumudi kettu is permitted to climb the 18 holy steps to the shrine.
Erumeli Petta Thullal is one of the most prominent rituals in Sabarimala pilgrimage protocol. According to one legend, it marks the celebration of Lord Ayyappa’s slaying of Mahishi, the terrible demoness who had the head of a buffalo and the body of a woman. According to another, it symbolizes religious harmony because Lord Ayyappa was aided by a Muslim warrior named Vavar, who led the armies from Ambalappuzha and Alangad, in his battle against Udayan, a forest bandit.
Traditionally, petta thullal begins on the first day of the month of Dhanu [December-January] and ends on the last day of the same month. In the morning of the 27th of Dhanu, a group from Ambalappuzha participates in petta thullal, and by afternoon, they are joined by a group from Alangad.
The petta thullal is a dance in which the performers smear sandal powder and ash all over their bodies, wear the leaves of orange berry tree, fix a leaf-crown on their heads, hold arrows, and carry a bundle of vegetables suspended from a stick that rests on their shoulders. The dancers from the Ambalappuzha group enter the Vavar mosque before proceeding to the Sannidhanam. The Alangad group skip this part of the ritual. The belief is that as the performers move to Sabarimala, Varar also accompanies them.
Thiruvaabharanam means sacred ornaments, made of gold, meant to decorate the idol of Lord Ayyappa. The popular belief is that they were made by the King of Pandalam as a mark of respect for his divine son. They are placed on the idol just before deepaaradhana [worshipping the deity with lighted lamps] on the evening of Makara vilakku festival. They are brought to the sanctum sanctorum in three chests. The main chest contains the lord’s ornaments. On the fifth day of the month of Makaram [January-February], kalabhaabhishekam [anointing the deity with kalabham which is a mixture of sandal paste and other fragrant substances] is done. The second chest contains gold pots that are used to hold the kalabham. The third contains the temple pennant, the thidambu [embossed replica of the deity on a golden plaque that is usually held atop an elephant and made to perambulate the sanctum sanctorum] and the ornamental headgear of the elephant. These chests are kept in the strong room of the palace owned by the king of Pandalam. Before the royal ornaments are taken to Sabarimala, pilgrims get an opportunity to have a look at them.
This is the procession of devotees that accompanies the temple authorities who take the sacred ornaments to the shrine on the Makaravilakku festival day. The distance it covers is nearly 83 km, accomplished in the course of three days. The procession begins from the Valiya Koyikkal temple at Pandalam with religious fervour reaching a crescendo. The chests are transported in a palanquin, and a representative of the royal family accompanies the procession. For the last 68 years, Kulathunkal Gangadharan Pillai swami has been carrying the royal ornaments on his head. This procession is given grand receptions at various temples all along the way. It returns after the Makaravilakku festival gets over, the kalabhaabhishekam is done, and the offerings are made.
The gold ornaments are placed on the idol of Lord Ayyappa on the day of Makara vilakku, that is the first day of the month of Makaram [January-February]. But the Thanka Anki (a golden attire) weighing 420 sovereigns – gifted by the Maharaja of Travancore Chithira Tirunal Bala Rama Varma in 1973 – is put over the idol during the time of the Mandala pooja (the main festival of the temple, at the end of the 41-day fast between the first day of the month of Vrishchikam [November-December] and the eleventh of Dhanu [December-January]. The Thanka Anki is brought to Sabarimala with a lot of religious fanfare from the Parthasarathy temple at Aranmula in a specially designed chariot. After the Mandala pooja, it is taken back, and kept in the strong room of the Aranmula temple.