Sri Ayyappa Temple/Sabarimala Temple/Sabarimala Shri Ayyappa Swamy Temple Pathanamthitta,Kerala

The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple(Malayalam pronunciation: is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Ayyappan, who is also known as Dharma Shasta and is the son of the deities Shiva and Mohini (female avatar of the god Vishnu).

The temple is situated atop the Sabarimala hill in the village of Ranni-Perunad, within the Ranni Taluk of the Pathanamthitta district in the state of Kerala, India. The temple is surrounded by 18 hills in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. It is one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world, with an estimate of over 10 to 15 million devotees visiting every year.

The temple is open for worship only during the days of Mandala Pooja (approximately 15 November to 26 December), Makaravilakku or Makara Sankranti (14 January), and Maha Thirumal Sankranti (14 April), and the first five days of each Malayalam month. The Sabarimala Temple serves as a prime example of the amalgamation of several religious traditions within the Indian context.

The temple practices encompassed the prohibition of women between the ages of 10 and 50 years from accessing the temple premises.

History

The Sabarimala temple does not have any ancient or medieval references. Nevertheless, there are extant late medieval references pertaining to the temple. The Pandalam royal family drafted a mortgage document in 1793. It states that the royal family is pledging the revenue returns, which encompass the income generated by the Sabarimala Temple, to the Tranvancore state.

In 1863, Ward and Conner published an article that provided a description of Sabarimala and its vicinity. In the year 1902, the ruler of Travancore issued a directive for the restoration of the Sabarimala temple, which had suffered damage as a result of a fire incident. Kochu Thomman, a Mavelikkara resident of Christian faith, funded and carried out the reconstruction contract.

In the year 1950, the temple was rebuilt after an arson attack. No charges were brought, and the earlier stone image of the deity was replaced by a panchaloha (an alloy of five metals) idol, about one and a half feet tall.

Neelakanta Panicker and his younger brother, Ayyappa Panicker, who are members of the Thattavila Vishwakarma family in Chengannur, Kerala, created the Panchaloha idol to replace the original stone statue of the deity. Edavankadan T.N. Padmanabhan Achari from Mavaelikkara was appointed the supervisor in charge of the new idol by Rajpramukh Sree Chithira Tirunaal Balarama Varma. In the early 1950s, through P. T. Rajan efforts, the present panchaloha idol of Ayyappan was installed at Sabarimalai, and a procession was taken all over Madras state.

In 1969, the flagstaff (dhwajastambha) was installed.