The Pilgrimage

The पिल्ग्रिमागे

The pilgrimage begins in the month of November and concludes in January. All those desirous of paying a visit to the sacred temple of Lord Ayyappa can initiate the process by wearing a rudraksha mala and giving oneself completely to the devotion of god. It is considered extremely auspicious to take the initiation process by a Guruswami ( someone who has been to the temple previously atleast seven consecutive year). Thereafter the pilgrims maintain a 41 day rigorous austerities. Those successful can head towards the Temple in batches under the leadership of a capable person. All individual need to carry the Irumudi Kettu which has two sections. The first one contains a coconut filled with ghee while the second one holds the necessary items required for the journey. The significance of these items are more than apparent as they manifest human desire that needs to be renounced to merge with the god and divinity.

There are three routes to the temple, the easiest one being the one through Chalakyam which is very close to the Pampa river. From here Sannidhanam is just 8 km away. The most tough route, the Erumeli route, entails the pilgrims to undertake a 61 km walk on foot through forests and hill track. There is also the Vandiperiyar route which commences from 94.4 km stone on the Kottayam - Kumli road. Crossing the 18 divine steps is the next step in the pilgrimage. The steps have their own relevance and those who climb it are believed to attain 'Punyadarshan'. Here the coconut is broken and the ghee is poured over Lord Ayyappa's idol. The union with god is considered complete