Singing praise to Lord Ayapan all the way to Sabarimala

Lord Ayappan devotees vouch that their problems have become little ones after completing the pilgrimage

Lord Ayappan devotees vouch that their problems have become little ones after completing the pilgrimage

The second leg of the pilgrimage (for the Makaravilakku festival) began on December 30 and will conclude on January 20

Indian pilgrims are very sensitive and violence does irrupt when traditions associated with the revered pilgrimage are threatened

Sri Lankans are diligently preparing for the much looked forward to trek to Sabarimala in Kerala, India. You can see these pilgrims, preparing for the journey to India, travelling on the roads of Sri Lanka and attending to the calls of everyday life. They are clad in black attire and continue going to work at the offices they serve till the day comes to take flight to Lord Ayappan’s hill shrine in the Pathanamthitta district in Kerala. The austere preparations for the pilgrimage don’t necessarily disturb employment commitments, but they do disrupt the life of the householder because certain activities such as intimacy with the spouse and consuming meat and alcohol are strictly prohibited. Strict rules of penance prohibit them from trimming nails, the beard or mustache or the hair on the head. Hence most pilgrims opt to stay overnight in the kovils (Hindu shrines) they frequent during a 44-day period of penance and preparation for the pilgrimage. This is because such religious places of worship cater to the pilgrims to protect their vows and be clean, both externally and internally, for the challenging journey ahead.

This journey in Kerala can be made only during the pilgrim season, otherwise Sabarimala is tiger infested forest and off-season travelling is unthinkable, hence discouraged by the authorities and pilgrim elders. The pilgrimage to Sabarimala is considered as one of the largest annual pilgrimages in the world. For the first 30 days of the 2024/25 season alone, as many as 23,00,000 (2.3 million) pilgrims entered the jungles of Sabarimala. The pilgrims are allowed into the forest through a main check point after a place is allotted in a queue or through spot bookings. Seventy thousand pilgrims get entrance through the queue system and 10,000 more through spot bookings each day. Still, despite a system being in place, there are pilgrims who enter the jungles haphazardly without obtaining tokens and add to an already existing rush. 

The first leg of the pilgrimage (for the Mandala festival) took place from November 16 to December 26. The second leg of the pilgrimage (for the Makaravilakku festival) began on December 30 and will conclude on January 20. Eventually the pilgrimage ends at the shrine of Lord Ayappan, one of the most worshipped Gods in the Hindu religion. Lord Ayappan devotees vouch that their problems have become little ones after completing the pilgrimage. 

The pilgrimage to Sabarimala became a hot topic of controversy in recent years because women in adulthood were strictly prohibited to enter the shrine premises or take part in the journey by foot. But last year the Supreme Court gave a ruling with effectively lifts a ban that restricted women in adulthood from taking part in the pilgrimage. The new ruling now allows women of all ages to take part in the pilgrimage, but the shrine authorities are said to have asked for time to respond to this court ruling. It is reported that still there are attacks when women, who have been barred by tradition to go on the pilgrimage, attempt to make the journey.  

Calls for stricter protocols to be maintained

For the record ‘devotees and religion leaders have called for stricter protocols to ensure that all personal serving at the Sabarimala shrine respect its spiritual customs’. This came about not only because of the lifting of the ban on adult women going on the pilgrimage, but because of a picture taken of policemen on duty near the shrine who are apparently tuning their backs to the Sanctum Sanctorum. The picture saw tempers flay after it went viral on social media. Indian pilgrims are very sensitive and violence does irrupt when traditions associated with the revered pilgrimage are threatened. 

Any person preparing for the pilgrimage is respected as a ‘priest’, hence he or she is not roped into loose talk or chatter which can contaminate the mind with ideas that are sinful. The pilgrim who is preparing for the journey is revered and also loved by all because he or she who does the trek to Sabarimala will bring blessings of Lord Ayappan to family members who didn’t take part in the journey. 

The seasoned pilgrims who have done the journey many times are termed as ‘Guru Swami’. These Guru Swamis or group leaders are held in high esteem and maintain that strict discipline is maintained by everyone throughout the journey. There are stories that people who breach the codes of discipline have experienced serious trouble on the way to the shrine. Devotees say that saying the name of this God aloud while on the journey by foot ensures protection. 

Taking into account experiences fed into literature about this journey, this writer can vouch that going to Sabarimala and the preparations done prior to that, are done in the same manner of seriousness like preparing for the journey to Madu Church, travelling to Munneswaram to worship Ma Kali or visiting Lord Murugan’s abode in Kataragama. You can observe the transformation of devotees during those few days of penance and preparation. Good overcomes the bad and the mind is focused on achieving the purest human thoughts. Even though this mental condition can only be retained for a short period of time its transforming power is simply amasing. In religious teachings it’s specified that pilgrimage is one aspect of performing acts of devotion to God, and going to Sabarimala occupies a top slot on that to do list.