Temples in Sabarimala
Ayyappan Temple
Ayyapa is said to be the son of Lord Siva and Mohini. He is a very strict bachelor. Lord Siva wanted to test the power of Mohini and asked to see Her. When he saw Her, he began to chase Her and he passed semen. From this semen, it is said that Ayyapa was born. He is called Hariharaputra, or the son (putra) of Vishnu (Hari) and Siva (Hara), and is regarded as the third son of Siva. Ayyappa derives from Aryan (one worthy of reverence) and appa, which means "father" in Malayalam. The deity is about one-and-a-half feet tall and is made of an alloy of five metals called Panchaloha. The present temple was mainly built in 1951, after a devastating fire.
The temple is open to all regardless of religion, caste, creed, or status. It can take hours of waiting to see the Deity.
There are 18 steps that lead to the temple that are said to be a ladder to heaven. To walk on the steps, the pilgrim must have observed 41 days of penance and carried the Irumudi (a cloth bag containing puja and personal paraphernalia) on his head. The steps can be used only twice during the pilgrim’s visit-once when entering the sanctum with the Irumudi and again when leaving. At other times the steps on the north and west sides of the temple are used.
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