Sabarimala
A wellknown pilgrim centre of South India. The holy shrine dedicated to Lord Ayyappa is situated 914 metre above sea-level. It is 191 km away from Thiruvanathapuram and 210 km from Kochi. Over 2 million pilgrims go to this Hindu shrine every year. The devotees going to the shrine have to wear only black robes.
The pilgrimage to Sabarimala has several distinct features as against any other pilgrimage. It is an experience indeed as unique as it is exiting . The pilgrim who goes up the hill is conscious of not only the presence of an effulgent spiritual power , but also the burden of his past which he carries with him . Rigorous austerities are to be observed unfailingly without which it becomes a futile exercise with no spiritual gain. It is virtually a penance lasting at least forty one days from the first day of the Malayalam month Vrischikam , the mid November . A pilgrim who takes his maiden trip to the hill is called "Kanni Ayyappan"
As the preliminary ritual of the .pilgrimage, the aspirant wears a beaded garland usually of Thulasi or Rudraksham as a symbol, the garland which he receives from Guruswami , the one who has been privileged to be the holy presence of the Lord repeatedly on several occasion. Ordinarily the ritual is conducted in the precincts of a temple or any other such sacred place. From the moment the garland falls around the neck , the aspirants reposes complete faith in Ayyappa and he identifies himself with the Lord . He surrenders his thoughts, words and deeds to the powerful deity.
