Sacred Complex of the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple

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The book deals with the study of the sacred complex associated with Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, especially since it draws millions of pilgrims from all over India and abroad. Lord Ayappa is worshipped in a unique manner at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, deep in the forests of the Sahya mountain ranges in the Western Ghats. It also presents a descriptive analysis of the ecology and environment; the legends and myths of the birth of Lord Ayyappa; the architectural design of the temple; ritual functionaries; daily worship; seasonal and annual festivals plus the Mandalam-Makara Vilakku festivals; pilgrimage and the history and administration of the temple: continuity and change. This book has drawn the attention of common man eager to know about the deity, but also the scholars of Indian civilization. The mythology associated with Ayyappa and even the form in which he is depicted is unprecedented.

Ayyappa was a hunting deity, but was incorporated into Sanskritic tradition. The cult is an amalgamation of diverse faiths like tribal, Brahmanic, Buddhist, Savism and Tantric traditions. It even incorporates obeisance to a Muslim saint. The author has also highlighted the environmental impact of commercial promotion of the shrine, which the state will have to address in the larger interest of the people and ecology

P.R.G. Mathur (b. 1934), a distinguished anthropologist, has earned national and international attention for his painstaking efforts in the area of applied anthropology, to the chagrin of several vested interests. His stewardship of the Kerala Institute for Research and Training and Development Studies for SC & ST (KIRTADS) over a decade gave a fillip to applied anthropology in India in the true sense of the term, and some of his controversial reports received approbation at the highest Court of Indian judiciary. His extensive experience on community studies in India earned him many rewards. In recognition of his dedicated service to Indian anthropology for the past five decades Dr. Mathur has been honoured with Fulbright Fellowship in 1982 and the first Ananthakrishna Iyer Memorial Award instituted by the Anthropological Association, Mysore in 2007. He was earlier nominated 'Man of the Year' twice, in 1994 and 2002, by American Biographical Institute.

Author of several well acclaimed contributions to anthropological literature in the form of papers and monographs, his books: Didayi- A Forgotten Tribe of Orissa (1969), Tribal Situation in Kerala (1978), The Mappila Fisherfolk of Kerala (1978), Khasi of Meghalaya (1979), Applied Anthropology and Development Administration (1994) and Ecology, Technology and Economy: Continuity and Change among the Fisherfolk of Kerala (2008) are widely circulated all over the world.

Podikkulangara Ramaswamy Govindankutty (P.R.G.) Mathur lives in his native village, Mathur in Palakkad (Kerala), with his better half, Mrs. Ragumani Mathur.

Hinduism in Kerala is amorphous. It is the religion of about 50% of the population. Hindus are segmented into castes and communities, and all Hindus do not necessarily share the same beliefs. However, places of worship are sacred to all sections. Some such places have become far more famous than others and their sanctity has spread beyond the confines of Kerala.

In our Sacred Complex of Guruvayur Temple (Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi 2009), we detailed the reasons for the special sanctity attached to this place of worship. We dealt with the history of the temple, its architecture, its rituals and functionaries the performing arts associated with it, and the people to whom it provides solace and salvation.

Another famous place of worship and pilgrimage is Sabarimala, where Lord Ayyappa is the presiding deity. It is in the midst of a deep forest, and access to it is arduous. Presently, a motorable road takes the pilgrim to within five kilometers of the temple, but it is hilly, climbing up to about 1000 meters above MSI, and descending to about 700 metres at the temple.

This temple differs from Guruvayur in most respects. We took it as our mission to study the sacred complex associated with Sabarimala, especially since it draws millions of pilgrims from all over India and abroad. The season for the pilgrimage is confined to about two months every year, and the temple is open not for more than about 133 days every year.

Lord Ayyappa is worshipped in a unique manner at the Sabarimala temple (Plate 01 & 02) in Kerala, deep in the forests of the Sahya mountain ranges in the Western Ghats. A devotee has to walk through thick tropical forests infested with wild life, climb, steep hills and navigate low valleys to reach the temple. The temple is situated inside a Reserve Forest. In this connection. S. Sankar (2000:2) observes "Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple is one of the most famous shrines in the whole country. Now the temple and the surroundings lie in Perunad village of Ranni Taluk in Pathanamthitta district. The Ayyappa Temple of Sabarimala is situated 471 m above sea level in the dense jungles forming the southern most portion of the Periyar Tiger Reserve and constitutes the largest sacred landscape in the world."

Until about 1947 the pilgrimage to Sri Dharma Sastha or Lord Ayyappa Temple of Sabarimala was mostly confined to the people of the erstwhile Travancore State of South India. The maximum number of pilgrims reaching Sabarimala in any peak season was only about 15,000 before 1947. Today the scene is drastically different. The latest estimate of pilgrims reaching the temple in the season is around thirty million. The number is increasing every year. Rajan Gurukkal et al. (2001:47-48) observes "The potential population which can be supported is five million, according to the calculations made as of now in various ways. During the peak season the 10 acres of forestland at Pamba have to hold about 50000 people and the 50 acres of forestland at Sannidhanam have to hold about 70000 per day."

The Malayalam month of Vrishchikam (mid-November) marks the beginning of a unique pilgrimage in Kerala, when millions of devotees of Lord Ayyappa embark on a pious and arduous trek in the dense forests of the Sahya Mountains in the Western Ghats, crossing the Pamba river to reach the abode of their favourite deity residing at Sabarimala. Traditionally, the area covered on foot by the devotees an area rich in bio-diversity and panoramic views of hills and valleys echoing abundant myths and oracles is considered as one of the most. intriguing sacred landscapes in the country. Pilgrims from all over the world and from the South Indian states particularly, frequent this forest shrine during the festive season of Mandala puja and Makara vilakku. Dr. P.R.G. Mathur, in this study, literally makes the reader ascend along with him, the 18 sacred steps called puthinettampadi, representing the 18 hills surrounding the sacred complex of Sabarimala which otherwise a devotee can climb. only after undergoing the 41-days rigorous ritual preparations, observance of abstinences and austerities prescribed by the temple tradition and the long and arduous trek.

The book, The Sacred Complex of Ayyappa Temple' is the outcome of a study conducted by Dr. P.R.G. Mathur under the Kshetra Sampada program of the Janapada Sampada Division of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). The Kshetra Sampada envisages holistic study of a region or a cultural centre, mapping the interlocking of the environmental, geographic, social, economic, artistic and devotional aspects surrounding it. In a previous work entitled the Sacred Complex of the Guruvayur Temple, Dr. P.R.G. Mathur has collaborated with IGNCA to document the Guruvayur Temple and its living traditions. As a sequel to this project, in a similar manner. Dr. Mathur has undertaken an exploration into the famous Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala, in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala.

The Sacred Complex of the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple traces comprehensively the history, myths, elaborate rituals, architectural features and the tradition of pilgrimage specific to Sabarimala. Among the various temples devoted to Lord Ayyappa. this is the most popular one which attracts millions of pilgrims every year. Sabarimala pilgrimage is unique with the diverse rituals and strict observance of various abstinences that a devotee has to follow. A confluence of traditions, such as the Tribal, Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic, is discernible in and around this complex. The co-existence of the Sastha cult and the legend of Vavar, a Muslim warrior remains a striking example of the deep nexus between different faiths in this region.

Surviving several natural and man-made calamities and incidents of outbreak of fire, the popularity of the Ayyappa Sannidhanam has, however, grown manifold over the decades. In a unique combination of intense bhakti and simple tangible human passions, the Lord Ayyappa is put to sleep night after night by the famous ashtakam, "Harivarasanam", believed to have composed by Shri Kombakudi Kolathur Iyer around 1950. The song popularized by the recitation of Shri K.J. Yesudas has become part of the popular culture of Ayyappa Worship in Kerala.

**Contents and Sample Pages**