PILGRIMAGE

SWAMIYE SARANAM AYYAPPA

                                                   Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa Temple is one of the most ancient and prominent Sastha temples in the country. Located in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, Sabarimala Sri Dharmasastha Temple is one of the few Hindu temples in India that is open to all faiths. The shrine of Sabarimala is one of the most remote shrines in southern India yet it still draws three to four million pilgrims each year. Surrounded by mountains and dense forest Sabarimala is believed to be the place where Ayyappan meditated. Perhaps the best known pilgrimage destination in Kerala is Sabarimala. Sabarimala Sri Dharmasastha Temple is the most famous and prominent among all the Sastha Temples. It is believed that "Parasurama Maharshi" who retrieved Kerala from the sea by throwing his axe, installed the idol of Ayyappa at Sabarimala to worship Lord Ayyappa.

The pilgrimage begins in the month of November and ends in January. The temple attracts pilgrims not only from the southern states of India, but also from other parts of the country and abroad. The shrine gets thronged with devotees especially during the main pilgrim season from November to January. Mandala pooja (December12,2011) and Makaravilakku(Jan.15th,2012) are the two main events of the pilgrim season. The temple stays closed during the rest of the year except for the first five days of every Malayalam month and during Vishu (April). 

Certain customs are to be strictly observed if one has to undertake a pilgrimage to Sabarimala. A pilgrim attending the Mandalapooja should observe austerities for 41 days. During this period, the pilgrim should abstain himself from non vegetarian food and carnal pleasures. Pilgrims set out in groups under a leader, and each carry a cloth bundle called Irumudi kettu containing traditional offerings. Unlike certain Hindu temples, Sabarimala temple has no restrictions of caste or creed. The temple is open to males of all age groups and to women who have either passed their fertility age and those before reaching the stage of puberty. The easiest route is via Chalakkayam, by which one can reach the banks of the river Pamba by vehicle. Pamba is the main halting point on the way to Sabarimala. From here one has to trek 4 to 5 kms to reach the temple.

THE PILGRIMAGE REGULATIONS

Sabarimala pilgrims have to observe several austerities and regulations to undertake the pilgrimage. The vritham can be undertaken only after getting permission from one's parents and Guru. It should be undertaken in such a manner as to cause no inconvenience to one's family. The day before the vritham begins one has to offer prayers to ones' family deity and present a yellow cloth with coins within to the family deity. The devotee must shave, clip his nails, trim his hair and bathe before the vritham. The holy garland should be cleaned and smeared with sandal paste and placed before the portrait of Lord Ayyappa. The devotee should also buy a new pair of coloured dhoti and towel or shawl. On the day of the vritham the devotee rises early, bathes, prays to the family deity and performs a pooja to the holy mala. He will be accompanied to the temple by his Guru and recieve his mala from him. Wearing the mala denotes that the devotee becomes Lord Ayyappa and must thus lead a pious life. The devotee must keep away from all social activities and spend his time praying and singing bhajans and in worthy causes like visiting temples, cleaning temples, feeding the poor, helping the poor and sick and attending religious discourses. He must eat only vegetarian food and abstain from meat, physical or verbal violence, alcohol and tobacco and intoxicants in any form. The devotee must sleep on the floor, use a wooden block for a pillow and walk barefeet. The devotee is obligated to treat all co-devotees as Lord Ayyappan and serve them in every way. He must be humble despite the respect and privileges accorded to him as a Sabarimala pilgrim. The devotee must treat all women like his mother and strictly follow celibacy. He must not oil his body or his hair and must always carry a tulsi leaf with him to keep away evil thoughts. HARIVARASANAM Harivaraasanam- The sanctum sanctorum closes with this song, each day. Harivaraasanam Viswamohanam Haridhadheeswaram Aaradyapaadukam Arivimardhanam Nithyanarthanam Hariharaatmajam devamaasraye Sharanakeerthanam Sakthamaanasam Bharanalolupam Narthanaalasam Arunabhaasuram Bhoothanayakam Hariharaatmajam devamaasraye Pranayasatyakaa Prananaayakam Pranathakalpakam Suprabhaanchitam Pranavamandiram Keerthanapriyam Hariharaatmajam devamaasraye Thuragavaahanam Sundaraananam Varagadhayudham Devavarnitham Gurukripaakaram Keerthanapriyam Hariharaatmajam devamaasraye Thribhuvanaarchitham Devataatmakam Thriyanam Prabhum Divyadesitham Thridasapoojitham Chinthithapradam Hariharaatmajam devamaasraye Bhayabhayaavaham Bhaavukaavaham Bhuvanamohanam Bhoothibhooshanam Dhawalavaahanam Divyavaaranam Hariharaatmajam devamaasraye Kalamrudusmitham Sundaraananam Kalabhakomalam Gaathramohanam Kalabhakesari Vaajivaahanam Hariharaatmajam devamaasraye Sithajanaproyam Chinthitapradam Srithivibhooshanam Saadhujeevanam Sruthimanoharam Geethalaalasam Hariharaatmajam devamaasraye.                                       Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple OM NAMO BHAGAVATHE VASUDEVAYA Guruvayur Mahatmyam From the time immemorial, India has been a spiritually enlightened country consecrated by Rishis and temples of worship. Holy places like Kashi and Rameswaram have magnificent Temples which, besides their spiritual significance, are noted for their antiquity and historical importance. The artistic excellence and the architectural specialities of Konark and Khajuraho are so indescribable that they always attract not only the pilgrims from within the country but also swarms of tourists from abroad. But Guruvayur is a pilgrim center which has its own glory and greatness, mainly because of the divinity enshrined in the Sanctum - Sanctorum (central shrine) of the temple and the unique charm of the idol installed in it. The presiding deity in the Garbhagraha (central shrine) is Mahavishnu, worshipped according to the pooja routines laid down by Adi Sankaracharya and later written in to the Tantrasamuchaya by Chennas Narayanan Namboodiri (born in 1427). The Chennas Namboodiris are the hereditary Tantri of Guruvayur temple. The people at large, however, invoke the Lord as UNNIKRISHNA or BALAKRISHNA. The idol of Guruvayur temple is unique, since it is carved out of "Paathalanjana Sila", and is considered extremely sacred. This idol was once worshipped by Mahavishnu in Vaikunta. Vishnu handed it over to Brahma. King Suthapas and his wife who worshipped Bhrama for a child received this idol from Brahma. He advised them to 2 start worshipping the idol. Once Lord Vishnu appeared before them and blessed them that he himself will be born as their child in their three re-births in three different forms and in three different situations. Thus they got the good fortune to worship the same deity in all three rebirths. They gave birth to Prasnigarbhan who gave to the world the practice of Brahmacharya Vratha (Celibacy) . In their next birth, Suthapas and his wife were born as Kashyapa and Adithi . Their son in that birth was Vamana. The third rebirth was as Vasudeva and Devaki. The Lord Krishna was born as their eighth son. In the long run , the Lord Krishna himself installed this idol in Dwaraka and worshipped it. According to the legends, the idol worshipped here is more than 5000 years old. But there are no historical records to establish it. In the 14th century Tamil literature 'Kokasandesam', references about a place called Kuruvayur is made. As early as 16th century (50 years after the Narayaneeyam was composed) many references are seen about Kuruvayur. In ancient Dravidic, Kuruvai means sea, hence the village on the coast may be called Kuruvayur. But according to Prof. K V Krishna Iyer (eminent historian), the Brahmins had begun to come and settle at Kodungalloor during the period of Chandra Gupta Maurya ( 321-297 BC). Trikkunavay in the Guruvayur documents is the same as Thrikkanamathilakam or Mathilakam mentioned in the Dutch and British records. And this place was in between Guruvayur and Kodungalloor. Guruvayur was Trikkunavay's subordinate shrine since they were destroyed by the Dutch in 1755. That way Guruvayur must have come into existence before 52 AD. The story of Pandyan King building a shrine here may be a reference to the Azhavars , but they are all silent in their writing about Guruvayur. It was Melpathur's Narayaneeyam through which the Temple got publicity. The concept of Unnikrishna popularised by Poonthanam , Kururamma , and Villwamangalam brought more and more devotees to Guruvayur. THE TEMPLE OPENS AT 3.00 AM & TEMPLE WILL BE CLOSED BETWEEN 1.30PM AND 4.30PM AND REOPENS AT 4.30 PM Time Pooja 3.00am to 3.30am Nirmalyam 3.20am to 3.30am Oilabhishekam, Vakacharthu, Sankhabhishekam 3.30am to 4.15am Malar Nivedyam, Alankaram 4.15am to 4.30am Usha Nivedyam 4.30am to 6.15am Ethirettu pooja followed by Usha pooja 7.15am to 9.00am Seeveli,Palabhishekam,Navakabhishekam, Pantheeradi Nivedyam, and Pooja 11.30am to 12.30pm Ucha pooja (the noon pooja) 4.30pm to 5.00pm Seeveli 6.00pm to 6.45pm Deeparadhana 7.30pm to 7.45pm Athazha pooja Nivedyam 7.45pm to 8.15pm Athazha pooja 8.45pm to 9.00pm Athazha seeveli 9.00pm to 9.15pm Thrippuka, Olavayana 9.15pm The Sreekovil will be closed. On the day of Special Illuminations called "Vilakku" the Thripuka is performed after that. The Sreekovil will be closed after Thripuka. Then the Krishnanattam, a colourful traditional dance-drama on Lord Krishna's life is enacted inside the Temple on specified days. Elephant Sanctuary at Punnathur Kotta The Devaswom maintains a unique elephant sanctuary, the only one of its kind in the World. It has 51 elephants now. These jumbos are the offerings of the devotees to the Lord. A large number of pilgrims and tourists visit this fascinating spot every day. In this vast compound, there are road facilities for pilgrims and tourists to go around. The present elephant sanctuary is in Punnathur Kotta about 3 kms north of Guruvayur temple. Punnathur Kotta is the ancient palace of the Punnathur Rajas, now in the possession of the Devaswom. There is also an ancient temple where Lord Siva and Bhagavathy are worshipped. It is a 10 acre compound which Devaswom purchased in 1975, which was under receiver rule of Trichur sub court. Till that time elephants were kept in this Kovilakam compound (present Sreevalsam) to the south of the temple. All the elephants were shifted to the Punnathur Kotta in a grant procession lead by Gajarajan Kesavan, all the elephants from the Kovilakam marched to Punnathur Kotta on 1975 June 25. Many elephants of Guruvayur have become the part of history. The sweet memories of Gajarajan Kesavan - literally the king of all Elephants- still enthrall the hearts of the elephant lovers worldwide. The mammoth physique, his intelligence and devotion to the Lord were very famous. Punnathurkotta was once the palace of a local ruler, but the palace grounds are now used to house the elephants belonging to the Guruvayoor temple, and has been renamed Anakkotta (meaning "Elephant Fort"). There were 86 elephants housed there, but currently there are about 66 elephants. The elephants are ritual offerings made by the devotees of Lord Guruvayurappa. This facility is also used to train the elephants to serve Lord Krishna as well as participate in many festivals that occur throughout the year. The oldest elephant is around 82 years of age and is called 'Ramachandran'. The rituals ofGajapooja (Worshipping Elephants) and Anayoottu (Feeding Elephants) are observed here, as an offering to Lord Ganesha. The legendary elephant "Guruvayur Keshavan" was housed here. The compound also has a naalu kettu, a traditional rectangular home with a central courtyard, which belonged to the Punnathur Raja. It is poorly maintained and presently houses a training school forPapans (Mahout). This complex also contains a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Bhagavathy. The visiting hours are 8.00AM to 6.00PM. The entry fees are Rs. 5/- per adult & Rs. 1/- for Children. An extra Rs. 25/- is charged for to use a camera and Rs. 1000/- inside the complex.