Ayyappan | |
---|---|
God of righteousness and celibacy | |
Affiliation | Hinduism |
Abode | Sabarimala |
Mantra | Svāmiye Śaraṇam Ayyappa [1] |
Weapon | Bow and arrow, sword |
Symbols | Bell, bow and arrow |
Day | Saturday |
Mount | Tiger |
Texts | Brahmanda Purana |
Gender | Male |
Festivals | Makaravilakku |
Personal information | |
Born | Manikandan |
Parents |
Ayyappan, also known as Dharmasastha and Manikandan, is the Hindu deity of truth and righteousness. His worship is more prevalant in South India. Although devotion to Ayyappan has been prevalent earlier, his popularity rose in the late 20th century. According to Hindu theology, he is the son of Vishnu in the form of Mohini and Shiva thus representing a bridge between Shaivism and Vaishnavism.
Ayyappan is depicted as a youthful man, riding or near a Bengal tiger, carrying a bow and arrow. Most iconography of Ayyappan depict him in a yogapattasana, a seated position. His abode is in Sabarimala which is located in the forests of the Western Ghats on the banks of river Pamba, and is a major pilgrimage destination, attracting millions annually.
Ayyappan is literally derived from "Ayyan" and "Appan" both meaning "father" and the root names might denote Mohini (the female form of Vishnu) and Shiva respectively. [2] An alternate theory links it to the Malayalam word acchan and Tamil word appa both meaning "father", with Ayyappan connoting as "Lord-father". [3] [4] The proposal is supported by the alternate name for Ayyappan being Sasta, a Vedic term that also means teacher or guide. [4] However, the word Ayyappan is not found in the medieval era Puranas, while the words Sastha and Dharmasastha in the sense of a Hindu god are mentioned in the Puranas. [5] Ayyappan is also known as Hariharasudhan, meaning the "son of Harihara" or a fusion deity of Hari and Hara, the names given to Vishnu and Shiva respectively. [6] He is also called Manikanda with Mani meaning precious stone and Kanda meaning neck in Sanskrit, translating to the wearer of precious stone on the neck. [6]
Ayyappan is a warrior deity and is revered for his ascetic devotion to Dharma, the ethical and right way of living, to deploy his military genius and daring yogic war abilities to destroy those who are powerful but unethical, abusive and arbitrary. [1] He is usually represented as a celibate young man with a bow and arrow, riding a bengal tiger. [7] In some representations, he is seen holding an upraised bow in his left hand, while holding either an arrow or sword in his right hand placed diagonally across his left thigh. [8] Other iconography of Ayyappan, generally shows him in a yogic posture wearing a bell around his neck. [9] In some representations, such as in Sri Lanka, he is shown riding an Indian elephant or a horse. [10]
The legend and mythology of Ayyappa varies across regions, reflecting a tradition that evolved over time. [11] According to Sribhutanatha Purana, Ayyappan is mentioned as an incarnation of Hariharaputra, the son of Shiva and Mohini. While this interaction between Shiva and Mohini is mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana , Ayyappan is not mentioned by name. [12]
According to Malayalam folk songs, Ayyappa is presented as a warrior hero of Pandala kingdom. [13] As the royal family was childless, the king of Pandalam found a baby boy in a forest. [9] [14] [15] The king named the boy Manikantha and raised him his own son, on the advice of an ascetic. [13] When Manikantha was 12 years old, the king wanted to formally anoit him as the heir. However, the queen objected to it, favoring her younger biological child. [13] The queen feigned an illness, asking for the milk of a tiger to cure her illness and demanded that Manikantha be sent to obtain the same. Manikantha volunteers and goes into the forest, where he confronts the demoness Mahishi, whom he kills and returns back riding a tigress. [13] The king realizing Manikantha's special ability recognizes him to be a divine being and resolves to make a shrine for him. Manikantha transforms into Ayyappan and shoots an arrow to denote the place for the shrine. [16] There are minor variations in the story in certain versions with Ayyappan renouncing the kingdom and becoming an ascetic yogi in a forested mountain. [17] In some versions, he was raised by a childless royal couple Rajashekara Pandian and Koperundevi, and grew up as a warrior yogi. [9] [18] [19]
In the later years, the stories of Ayyappan expanded. One such version has roots between the 1st and 3rd century CE, where Ayyappan evolves to be a deity who also protects traders and merchants from enemies such as robbers and plundering outlaws. [20] His temple and tradition inspired Hindu yogi mercenaries who protected the trade routes in South India from criminals and looters, restoring Dharmic trading practices. [20] In another version, Ayyappan is portrayed as a child of a priest whose father was murdered by a fearsome outlaw. The outlaw kidnaps a princess and Ayyappan makes a daring rescue, while killing the outlaw in the process. [20] In a variation of the story, Ayyappan forms an alliance with the Muslim warrior Vavar against the outlaw Udayanan, which forms the basis for worshiping both in a mosque and then in the Hindu temple before starting a pilgrimage to Ayyappan shrine. [20]
According to Paul Younger, supplementary legends appeared in the late medieval times that linked other Hindu deities and mythologies to Ayyappan heritage. [20] The divine beings Datta and Lila came to earth as humans. Datta wanted to return to the divine realm, but Lila enjoyed her life on earth and wanted to stay on earth. [21] Datta became angry and cursed her to become a Mahishi, or water buffalo demoness. Lila in turn cursed him to become a Mahisha, or water buffalo demon. They both plundered the earth with their evil acts. Mahishasura was later killed by goddess Durga, while Mahisha was killed by Ayyapan, ending the terror of evil and liberating Lila who was previously cursed. [22] These legends, states Younger, syncretically link and combine various Hindu traditions around Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism. [22] According to Eliza Kent, the legends in the Ayyappa tradition seem to be "artificially mixed and assembled into a kind of collage". [23] Ruth Vanita suggests that Ayyappan probably emerged from the fusion of a Dravidian god of tribal provenance and the Puranic story of Shiva and Mohini's interaction. [24] In some regions, Ayyappa and Tamil folk deity Ayyanar are considered to be the same with similar characteristics, a reason for his large following amongst Tamils. [25]
Although devotion to Ayyappan has been prevalent earlier, his popularity rose in the late 20th century. [26] While there are many temples in South India whose presiding deity is Ayyappan, the most prominent Ayyappan shrine is at Sabarimala, nestled in the hills of Western Ghats on the banks of river Pamba in Kerala. It is a major pilgrimage center, attracting millions of Hindus every year. [27] [28] [29] The temple is open only on select days of a year. [30]
Pilgrims begin preparations weeks in advance by leading a simpler life, remaining celibate, eating a vegetarian diet or partially fasting and wearing a black or blue dress. These weeks of rituals are termed as Vrutham which is signified by wearing a Tulsi or Rudraksha. [27] The pilgrims do not recognize any form of social or economic discrimination and form a fraternity treating each other as equals. [31] [29] The pilgrims call each other by the same name Swami meaning "God". [29] [32] The pilgrims bath in the Pamba river and embark on a trek to the top of the hill on barefoot while carrying an irumudi (a bag with two compartments containing offerings) on the head. [27] [28] Then they climb the 18 steps in front of the shrine, each representing a dharmic value. [27] [28] The shrine priests and devotees bring flowers and scatter them near the shrine, all the while chanting shlokas . [33] As Ayyappan is believed to be a celibate deity, women in their fertile age are not allowed to enter the shrine. [9] [27] [28] The most significant festival linked to him is the Makaravilakku, observed around the winter solstice. [14] [34] Harivarasanam is a Manipravalam ashtakam composed in praise of Shiva but sung as a lullaby for Ayyappan. [35]
Other temples include Kulathupuzha Sastha Temple, Aryankavu Sastha Temple, Achankovil Sastha Temple, Erumely Sree Dharmasastha Temple and Ponnambalamedu temple. While Ayyappan temples typically show him as a celibate yogi, a few temples such as the one at Achankovil Sastha Temple depict him as a married man with two wives Poorna and Pushkala, as well as a son Satyaka. [36] [37] Some of Ayyappan temples are believed to have been established by Parashurama. [38]
Ayyappan remains one of the few deities in Hindu tradition, who is respected by other religious communities, including Muslims and Christians. [9] He is also revered by Muslims in Kerala due to his friendship with Vavar. [15] In this mythology, Ayyappan confronts the plunder-driven pirate robber Vavar in the jungle with Ayyappan defeating Vavar, who then becomes Ayyappan's trusted lieutenant helping fight other pirates and robbers. [39] In another version, Vavar is stated to be a Muslim saint from Arabia, who works with Ayyappan. [39] [40] A mosque dedicated to Vavar stands next to the Kadutha swami shrine at the foot of the pilgrimage path, both as a form of guardian deities. Pilgrims offer a prayer to both, before beginning the trek towards Sabarimala. [39] According to Kent, the mosque does not contain mortal remains of Vavar though the mosque near Sabarimala includes a grave, and no one can date Vavar nor provide when and where he lived, so he may be a myth. The Vavar legend and palli shrines may reflect the Hindu approach to accepting and co-opting legendary figures or saints of other religions within its fold. [41]
A number of Indian films have been made about Ayyappan. These include: Sabarimala Ayyappan (1961) by S. M. Sriramulu Naidu, Swami Ayyappan (1975) by P. Subramaniam, Saranam Ayyappa (1980) by Dasarathan, Arul Tharum Ayyappan (1987) by Dasarathan, Shiv Putra Swami Ayappa (1990) by P.S. Mani, Sabarimala Sri Ayyappan (1990) by Renuka Sharma, Engal Swamy Ayyappan (1990) by Dasarathan, Ayyappa Swamy Mahatyam (1991), Ayyappa Deeksha Mahimalu (1992) by Guda Rama Krishna, Swami Ayappa Shabarimalai (1993) by K. Shankar, Jai Hari Hara Putra Ayyappa (1995), Bhagwaan Ayyappa (2007) by Irajaral Bhakhta and V. Swaminathan, Swami Ayyappan (2012) by Chetan Sharma and Mahesh Vettiyar, Om Sharanam Ayyappa (2015) by K. Sharath, Sri Omkara Ayyappane (2016) by Sai Prakash, Ayyappa Kataksham (2019) by Rudrapatla Venugopal and Malikappuram (2023) by Vishnu Mohan . [42] [43]
Asianet launched a Malayalam-language series named Swami Ayyappan in 2006, this was followed by Swami Ayyappan Saram (2010), Sabarimala Shri Dharmashasta (2012) and Sabarimala Swami Ayappan (2019). The story of Ayyappa is dictated by Parvati to Ganesha in the Indian TV show Vighnaharta Ganesh . [44]
The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple is a Hindu temple that is devoted to the worship of a deity named Ayyappan, also known as Dharma Shasta. Ayyappan is believed to be the son of Shiva and Mohini. The temple is situated atop a 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.
Mohini is the Hindu goddess of enchantment. She is the only female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She is portrayed as a femme fatale, an enchantress, who maddens lovers and demons, sometimes leading them to their doom. Mohini is introduced into Hinduism in the narrative epic of the Mahabharata. Here, she appears as a form of Vishnu following the Churning of the Ocean, a mesmerising beauty who distributes the amrita to the weakened devas (gods) and depriving it to the dominant asuras (demons), allowing the former to defeat the latter with their newfound immortality.
Achankovil is a 128 km (80 mi) long west flowing river in Kerala, India. It flows through the districts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha. The river drains vast tract of fertile plains of Upper Kuttanad in the Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts. It also sustains numerous urban settlements along its course such as Konni, Pathanamthitta, Pandalam and Mavelikkara.
Vavar, known reverently as Vavarswami, is a legendary figure from Kerala. He is the celebrated Muslim acquaintance of Hindu deity Ayappan. There is a shrine dedicated to Vavaraswami at Sabarimala, as well as Vavaraswami's mosque at Erumely opposite to an Ayyappan temple.
Ayyanar is a Dravidian folk religion deity venerated in South India and Sri Lanka. His worship is prevalent amongst the rural Tamil people. Some studies suggest that Ayyanar may have also been worshipped in Southeast Asian countries in the past. He is primarily worshipped as one of the Village deities of guardian folk deities of Tamil Nadu. The temples of Ayyanar in the countryside are usually flanked by gigantic and colourful statues of him and his companions riding horses or elephants.
Harivarasanam (ഹരിവരാസനം) is a Manipravalam ashtakam in praise of lord Shiva sung as a lullaby to Lord Ayyappan at the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, situated in Kerala, India. The song became popular through the first stanza in the Keerthanam known as Hariharatmajashtakam (ഹരിഹരാത്മജാഷ്ട്ടകം).
Tamil mythology refers to the folklore and traditions that are a part of the wider Dravidian pantheon, originating from the Tamil people. This body of mythology is a fusion of elements from Dravidian culture and the parent Indus Valley culture, both of which have been syncretised with mainstream Hinduism.
Erumely, also spelt Erumeli, is a town and panchayat located in the south-eastern part of Kottayam district in Kerala state, India. Erumely is situated 49 km (30 mi) east of Kottayam town and 133 km (83 mi) north of capital city Thiruvananthapuram. It is situated on the way to Sabarimala and during pilgrimage season, Erumely and its surroundings will be crowded by devotees from different parts of Kerala as well as other states. Erumely is also renowned for its religious harmony and prosperity between Hindus and Muslims which existed from the early periods. It is a place which have strong roots in legends and myths associated with Hindu deity Ayyappa. A new airport has been proposed in Erumeli. The village is nourished by Manimala River.
Shasta is a Hindu deity, described as the son of the deities Shiva and Mohini, Vishnu's female avatar. In South India, he is identified with the Ayyanar, Nattarayan or Sattan in Tamil Nadu, as Ayyanayake in Sinhala and the Ayyappan in Kerala. His principal function is to act as a kuladevata of a given clan, as well as act as a guardian of a village's boundaries.
Swami Ayyappan is a 1975 Indian Hindu mythological film. Directed and produced by P. Subramaniam, it was simultaneously shot in Malayalam and Tamil. The film stars Gemini Ganesan, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, Master Raghu/Karan, K. Balaji, Sekhar, Srividya, Unnimary, Lakshmi, Raghavan, Rani Chandra and Vinodini. The film met with critical acclaim and became a box office success. It won four Kerala State Film Awards. The film helped in popularising the shrine of Sabarimala further in Tamilnadu and other southern Indian states.
Rajah Annamalaipuram Ayyappan Koil is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Ayyappa in Chennai, India. It is located at Raja Annamalaipuram, a coastal neighbourhood of Chennai.
Mahishi is a she-buffalo demoness in Hindu mythology, the sister of Mahishasura. After her brother was killed by Parvati's aspect as Durga, the shape-shifting Mahishi sought revenge against her and the gods. According to Malayali tradition, Ayyappan, who was born with the powers of Vishnu and Shiva, defeated Mahishi.
Erumely Sree Dharmasastha Temple is a Hindu temple located in the heart of Erumely town in Kottayam district in the Indian state of Kerala. The temple is dedicated to Ayyappa or Dharmasastha. It is also an important meeting place of Sabarimala pilgrims.
Kulathupuzha Sastha Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shasta, located in Kulathupuzha in the Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is one of the five important Sastha temples in Kerala, the others being Aryankavu, Achankovil, Sabarimala and Kanthamala. The idol there is believed to have been installed by Parashurama and is made up of eight pieces of stone. The temple is known for the Meenoottu offering. The temple is governed by the Travancore Devaswom Board.
Sabarimala Trek is an important trek route to Sannidhanam, the abode of Ayyappan. It covers a distance of about 46 kilometres (29 mi) through the mountainous terrains and thick forests which are inhabited by many wild animals. It is believed that Ayyappa used this path in his expedition to kill Mahishi, a demoness. Even now, many pilgrims heading towards Sabarimala use this route, especially the pilgrims from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The Achankovil Sastha Temple is a Hindu temple located near the banks of the Achankovil River in the Kollam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the five important temples dedicated to Shasta in Kerala, the others being Kulathupuzha, Aryankavu, Sabarimala and Kanthamala. The idol in the temple is believed to have been consecrated by Parashurama. The temple is known for curing poisonous snakebites. The Travancore Devaswom Board administers the temple.
The Aryankavu Sastha Temple is a Hindu temple located in Aryankavu in the Kollam district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the five major temples dedicated to Shasta in Kerala, the others being Kulathupuzha, Achankovil, Sabarimala and Kanthamala. The temple's idol is believed to have been consecrated by Parashurama. The temple is governed by the Travancore Devaswom Board.
Pettathulal, also known as Petta Kettu, is a historic ritualistic dance held annually on the 27th of Dhanu at Erumely, in the district of Kottayam, in the Indian state of Kerala. It is performed during the Mandalam - Makaravilakku period among thousands of devotees. It depicts the joyfulness of people over the slaying of Mahishi by Lord Ayyappa. Two groups actively participate in the thullal, one from Ambalappuzha and other from Aalangadu. The Ambalappuzha group starts their journey to Erumely on the 22nd of Dhanu and a couple of days before the thullal. They visit the Manimala Bhagavathy temple on 25th Dhanu and perform an Aazhi pooja. Before the Ambalappuzha thullal, a Krishna parunth flies around in the sky. It is believed that lord Vishnu himself arrives from Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna temple on his mount Garuda to witness the thullal.
Pandavam is a village in Aymanam panchayath in Kottayam District in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located near Kudayampady on Kottayam - Olassa - Parippu route.
Sabarimala is a temple dedicated to Shasta, in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India. Women and girls of reproductive age have traditionally not been permitted to worship there, as Shasta is a celibate deity. The Kerala high court provided a legal justification for this tradition, and since 1991 onwards, women and girls were legally forbidden to enter the temple.