Come December and this one place becomes a melting pot, of people from all southern states. Others come too but the presence is predominantly of the four southern sisters, call it Dravidian if you wish.Dravidian is from Thiru Avidam, as some scholars tell, meaning the sacred place, though much misunderstood. It is the territory of the saivite Sidhas, saints. Clad in black and chanting they come to Sabarimala from all over and the place reverberates with the calls of ‘Swami Saranam’. Announcements in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam echo in the forest hills. It is the abode of the rain forest god, Ayyappa, within the Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary in Kerala. Within the thick forests nestles the small temple town, opened once a year. At other times it is restored back to the wild animals: tigers, leopards, wild elephants, assorted others. They open the temple at few other times too, but it remains closed for most of the year. In the December cold and mist it is a trip that gives one energy for a year. One can see endangered wild life, like lion tailed macaques, also other monkeys, boar, flying squirrel, and also wild elephants at times.
This is a unique place which makes one see for real the Hindu dictum of all life as one family, as said in ‘Vasudhaiva Kudumbakam’, every living thing is god. Even the animals are called by the honorific term ‘Swamy’, thus the donkeys brought as drought animals here, called Kazhutha in Malayalam and Tamil, are ‘Kazhutha Swamy’. The police posted here, who get some privileges like wearing khakhi casuals, are ‘Police Swamy’. Every one, with out any possibility of showing their class, caste or position, get addressed as ‘Swamy’ as well. It is seeing the god in everything and everyone. That is the core concept of the ‘Ayyappa’ belief. It is a lot of freedom, to wear the dress one feels like, or just enough to keep modesty. If a classless society is a dream in Communism, it is for real here. It is also a place where the deep ecology debates are in practice, altruistic concerns for life around a part of life. There are places where one feeds to wild animals, though it is rare to see this in practice, seen all over in Tamilnadu where monkeys are seen fed at forest temples.
Long back the shrine was inside a dense jungle and trips of unarmed pilgrims to the forest shrine was then a matter of life and death. Family members waited with alarm at home till the pilgrims returned. But rarely do wild animals attack them, the devotees of what is perhaps their gods too. Presently there are well laid roads and facilities, but till fifty years back this was different and the place had meager facilities and lot of wild animals. But the forests have shrunk and the region has gone under massive monoculture plantations of rubber, it is no more cold here and the river is dammed. This adds to the general warming of the climate. The management of the temple is by the Devaswom Board, a body of petty politicians, but is for couple of years now under a Commissioner, a creative IAS cadre officer, appointed by a Court of Law. The results are visible and the general face lift that the temple received raises questions about who should manage the place. There are amble facilities like free drinking water for pilgrims and general discipline are visible.
The forest shrine on a hill top can be approached after a dip in the holy river Pampa, the hill gods look down on the hordes of pilgrims that flock here. The traditional baggage is a two headed cloth bag called ‘Irumudi’ which is filled with the worship materials like coconuts, rice, camphor, incense and other things. Originally this must have been the luggage for survival in the long haul. The ‘irumudi’ is ritually carried on head, whatever the status of the devotee. The climb to the hills is hard and the hills are steep and rocky. The trip is not for everyone, only those who follow a rigorous daily schedule of following a certain life style for forty one days shall qualify to visit the shrine. The pilgrims come from far and wide and to them it is a return to nature trip. Sabarimala pilgrims from various sttates can be seen cooking food, eating and taking rest at the road sides and this is indeed an escape from the routine. Those without the rigour of month long penance and restraints and those without the Irumudi are not permitted to enter at the holy entrance, called sacred eighteen steps. It is an ascetic life that the deity here represents and the protocols try to preserve that dignity. There can be questions of whys, like why not women, why vegetarianism, why the caste Brahmin control, but these are questions best left to the saints.
It is the rainforest hills, springs abound even today, where, it is believed, the saintly Ayyappa sat on penance and there is a belief that the lady Sabari, after whom the hill shrine is named, waits nearby as goddess Sabari for taking his hand in union. But this union can happen only when the place has no fresh visitors, as agreed upon between Ayyappa and Sabari. With millions coming in every year bringing more and more people this is still not possible, as the legend tells. There are theories that this was once a Budhist shrine, going by the chants and other rituals, but presently the rites are the right of a Nampoothiri priest, as in most other temples in Kerala. The nominal authority of a local royal family called Pandalam Raja, originally linked to the Pandya kings as believed, remains over the temple whose representative still sits at the place. The place also has a unique story of Hindu – Muslim brotherhood and a Muslim place of worship is also there in front of the temple. This is of ‘Vavar’, a close aide of the warrior Ayyappa as believed, whose descendants come and sit at the allotted place at the shrine during festivals and are piously honored by the pilgrims. The ‘Kadutha Swamy’ linked to a martial family, is also having their place at the shrine, several other families have their nominal rights at this temple.
A trip to the trekker’s god inside the forests is indeed a return to nature, in a fast life modern culture. In the 1950s the wood temple caught fire or was set on fire by miscreants. Later it was rebuilt with granite and copper and then the fame brought in huge numbers of people. As legend tells Ayyappa is born of Lord Siva and Lord Hari, the Vishnu principle, it can be assumed that this was an order which brought together the clashing Saiva – Vaishnava sects of the Hindu belief. Like Muslims and Hindus now, this too needs as Ayyappa. South India it seems was predominantly Saivaite till the Vaishnava – Jain, Budhist beliefs came in the recent past. The southern western ghats of India, one of the world’s richest zones of biodiversity, has its own cultures and beliefs and Sabarimala retains a part of that vibrant model.
Come December and this one place becomes a melting pot, of people from all southern states. Others come too but the presence is predominantly of the four southern sisters, call it Dravidian if you wish.Dravidian is from Thiru Avidam, as some scholars tell, meaning the sacred place, though much misunderstood. It is the territory of the saivite Sidhas, saints. Clad in black and chanting they come to Sabarimala from all over and the place reverberates with the calls of ‘Swami Saranam’. Announcements in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam echo in the forest hills. It is the abode of the rain forest god, Ayyappa, within the Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary in Kerala. Within the thick forests nestles the small temple town, opened once a year. At other times it is restored back to the wild animals: tigers, leopards, wild elephants, assorted others. They open the temple at few other times too, but it remains closed for most of the year. In the December cold and mist it is a trip that gives one energy for a year. One can see endangered wild life, like lion tailed macaques, also other monkeys, boar, flying squirrel, and also wild elephants at times. 
This is a unique place which makes one see for real the Hindu dictum of all life as one family, as said in ‘Vasudhaiva Kudumbakam’, every living thing is god. Even the animals are called by the honorific term ‘Swamy’, thus the donkeys brought as drought animals here, called Kazhutha in Malayalam and Tamil, are ‘Kazhutha Swamy’. The police posted here, who get some privileges like wearing khakhi casuals, are ‘Police Swamy’. Every one, with out any possibility of showing their class, caste or position, get addressed as ‘Swamy’ as well. It is seeing the god in everything and everyone. That is the core concept of the ‘Ayyappa’ belief. It is a lot of freedom, to wear the dress one feels like, or just enough to keep modesty. If a classless society is a dream in Communism, it is for real here. It is also a place where the deep ecology debates are in practice, altruistic concerns for life around a part of life. There are places where one feeds to wild animals, though it is rare to see this in practice, seen all over in Tamilnadu where monkeys are seen fed at forest temples. 
Long back the shrine was inside a dense jungle and trips of unarmed pilgrims to the forest shrine was then a matter of life and death. Family members waited with alarm at home till the pilgrims returned. But rarely do wild animals attack them, the devotees of what is perhaps their gods too. Presently there are well laid roads and facilities, but till fifty years back this was different and the place had meager facilities and lot of wild animals. But the forests have shrunk and the region has gone under massive monoculture plantations of rubber, it is no more cold here and the river is dammed. This adds to the general warming of the climate. The management of the temple is by the Devaswom Board, a body of petty politicians, but is for couple of years now under a Commissioner, a creative IAS cadre officer, appointed by a Court of Law. The results are visible and the general face lift that the temple received raises questions about who should manage the place. There are amble facilities like free drinking water for pilgrims and general discipline are visible. 
The forest shrine on a hill top can be approached after a dip in the holy river Pampa, the hill gods look down on the hordes of pilgrims that flock here. The traditional baggage is a two headed cloth bag called ‘Irumudi’ which is filled with the worship materials like coconuts, rice, camphor, incense and other things. Originally this must have been the luggage for survival in the long haul. The ‘irumudi’ is ritually carried on head, whatever the status of the devotee. The climb to the hills is hard and the hills are steep and rocky. The trip is not for everyone, only those who follow a rigorous daily schedule of following a certain life style for forty one days shall qualify to visit the shrine. The pilgrims come from far and wide and to them it is a return to nature trip. Sabarimala pilgrims from various sttates can be seen cooking food, eating and taking rest at the road sides and this is indeed an escape from the routine. Those without the rigour of month long penance and restraints and those without the Irumudi are not permitted to enter at the holy entrance, called sacred eighteen steps. It is an ascetic life that the deity here represents and the protocols try to preserve that dignity. There can be questions of whys, like why not women, why vegetarianism, why the caste Brahmin control, but these are questions best left to the saints. 
It is the rainforest hills, springs abound even today, where, it is believed, the saintly Ayyappa sat on penance and there is a belief that the lady Sabari, after whom the hill shrine is named, waits nearby as goddess Sabari for taking his hand in union. But this union can happen only when the place has no fresh visitors, as agreed upon between Ayyappa and Sabari. With millions coming in every year bringing more and more people this is still not possible, as the legend tells. There are theories that this was once a Budhist shrine, going by the chants and other rituals, but presently the rites are the right of a Nampoothiri priest, as in most other temples in Kerala. The nominal authority of a local royal family called Pandalam Raja, originally linked to the Pandya kings as believed, remains over the temple whose representative still sits at the place. The place also has a unique story of Hindu – Muslim brotherhood and a Muslim place of worship is also there in front of the temple. This is of ‘Vavar’, a close aide of the warrior Ayyappa as believed, whose descendants come and sit at the allotted place at the shrine during festivals and are piously honored by the pilgrims. The ‘Kadutha Swamy’ linked to a martial family, is also having their place at the shrine, several other families have their nominal rights at this temple. 
A trip to the trekker’s god inside the forests is indeed a return to nature, in a fast life modern culture. In the 1950s the wood temple caught fire or was set on fire by miscreants. Later it was rebuilt with granite and copper and then the fame brought in huge numbers of people. As legend tells Ayyappa is born of Lord Siva and Lord Hari, the Vishnu principle, it can be assumed that this was an order which brought together the clashing Saiva – Vaishnava sects of the Hindu belief. Like Muslims and Hindus now, this too needs as Ayyappa. South India it seems was predominantly Saivaite till the Vaishnava – Jain, Budhist beliefs came in the recent past. The southern western ghats of India, one of the world’s richest zones of biodiversity, has its own cultures and beliefs and Sabarimala retains a part of that vibrant model. 
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