The Holy Trek - Erumeli Route to Sannidhanam

The Erumeli route, used by Ayyappan himself during his forest expedition to kill Mahishi is described
here.

1. Erumeli
2. Perur Thodu
3. Kaalaketi
4. Azhutha
5. Azhutha River
6. Kallidumkunnu
7. Inchipparakota
8. Mukkuli
9. Kariyilam Thodu
10. Karimalai
11. Periya Annai Vattam
12. Seriya Annai Vattam
13. Pampa Nadi

Erumeli :

It is about 65 km from Kottayam. There are shrines for Lord Dharmasastha and Varar Swamy (the
Muslim lieutenant of Lord Ayyappa).The first timers to Sabarimala, called Kanniswamy, perform
pettatullal. Pettatullal is painting the face with colours and dancing with wooden weapons to make one
look odd. The essence of this practice is to give up ones ego and surrender to Lord Ayyappa. They go
round the Ayyappan Temple and Varar Shrine and later bathe in the river. Then the temple is visited
again to seek authorization from Lord Ayyappa to tread the sacred hill Sabari. Later the pilgrims leave
Erumeli under the guidance of their Guru for Sannidhanam.
Perur Thodu :

It is a river about 4 km from Erumeli. Lord Ayyappa rested here during his expedition. It is from here
the rise begins. Giving alms here is important. By giving alms, one is disposing of all dharma and
seeking asylum in Ayyappa. The forest beyond Perur Thodu is poongavanam (Ayyappan's garden).

Kalaketti :

About 10 km from Perur Thodu is Kalaketti. The legend says that Lord Shiva, Ayyappa's father, came on
his ox and tied it here and witnessed Lord Ayyappa killing Mahishi. There is a shrine where the pilgrims
light camphor and break coconuts.

Azhutha :

Azhutha river, a tributary of Pampa, is about 2 km from Kalaketti. On the far side of the river is the
steep Azhutha hill, famous for its arduous track. In the ascent of 2 km of steep climb there is hardly
anyone who does not shed tears. At the summit of Azhutha is Kallidumkunnu. The pilgrims drop the
pebble taken by them from Azhutha river here. This is done as the mortal remains of Mahishi was cast
off here and filled with stones.

Inchipparakota:

The next important place is the Inchipparakota where there is Kotayil Sastha shrine. Pilgrims offer
prayers here and break coconuts. From here the pilgrims descent the slippery path carefully. The
descent ends at Karimala thodu (canal) with Azhutha hill on one side and Karimala hill on the other.
Pilgrims rest here for a while.

Karimala :

Karimala is the abode of elephants which visits the Karimala canal to drink water. Pilgrims light the
aazhi (campfire) to protect themselves from wild animals and cold weather. Karimala hill consists of
seven levels and is climbed in stages. As the ascent of 5 km is difficult the pilgrims continuously chant
saranams. On top of Karimala the terrain is flat suitable for the pilgrims to rest. It is interesting to see
the Nazhikkinar - a well within a well with fresh spring like water. There deities of Karimalanthan,
Kochukaduthaswami and Karimala Bhagawathi. From here after the exhausting descent, Pampa river is
about 5 kms.

Pampa :

Pampa is the most important and holy spot on the way to Sannidhanam. It is here Lord Ayyappa was
found by King Rajasekara. The Pampa river is as holy as the Ganges. The Pampa water purifies one
from curse and evil.

Pampa Feast :

Pampa Annadhanam (feast) and Pampa Vilakku are important rituals followed at the Pampa bank.
Pilgrim groups prepare feast with the provisions taken from the Irumudi of the pilgrims. Thousands of
pilgrims are fed at Pampa. When a group of pilgrims are ready to fed the fellow pilgrims they display a
large papad outside their cottage. It is usually the kanniswamy who are fed first, as they are
considered to be Lord Ayyappan himself. After the feast the Guru is honoured by pilgrims prostrating
him and offering him the Gurudakshina.
Aazhi Pooja :

The Aazhi pooja is an important event associated with the pilgrimage to Sabarimala. It is more or less a
celebration that symbolizes the attainment of a renunciant's frame of mind. The pooja is perf
ormed on an auspicious day before the holy trek actually begins. This ritual is also called Vellamkudi,
Daham Veppu or Padukka. Vellamkudi in the local Malayalam language means the act of drinking water
and Daham Veppu, quenching one's thirst. Human beings long for satisfaction of their various material
desires as a result of their undue attachment to the body. Such unquenched thirsts are impediments in
their quest for God-realization; once they are removed, the devotee experiences supreme bliss. By
leading a spiritually oriented life for several days, the Ayyappa bhaktha attains a considerable degree
of purification, both mentally and physically and this culminates in Aazhi pooja.

A special pandal is erected for this purpose. Fuels for aazhi (fire blaze) are stored in stacks in front of
the pandal and camphor is used to start the fire. As the aazhi blazes and tongues of flames go higher,
the worshippers circumambulate it chanting 'Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa.' Rice flakes, parched rice and
pieces of coconut are thrown regularly into the raging fire. The flames are believed to be Lord
Ayyappan himself and the articles hurled into the fire represent worldly desires which are annihilated
by Lord Ayyappan who is the embodiment of true wisdom. Sometimes, the Ayyappas, ecstatic and
oblivious to their surroundings walk on the aazhi, out of devotional fervour.

Soon afterwards, poojas are performed and camphor burnt. Burning of camphor leaves no traces
behind; it therefore, connotes total destruction of the meaningless longings of the aspirant.

Kanni Ayyappas move from kitchen to kitchen collecting the ashes which are considered to be very
sacred. It is done with the belief that Lord Ayyappa would have had the feast in one of the cottages in
the disguise of a pilgrim. The ash is taken home as prasad.

Pampa Vilakku :

On sunset pilgrim believe that Lord Ayyappan will be present at the banks of Pampa and the cottages
are decorated with lights and candles. Small floats are decorated with lights called Pampa Vilakku are
let in the Pampa river. The next morning after a dip in the cold Pampa river the pilgrims start their
ascent towards the hill Neelimala after worshipping at the temple of Lord Ganapathi, Lord Rama and
Lord Hanuman. On the foot of the Neeli hill is the representative of the King of Pandalam. The pilgrims
offer their respects to the representative. After seeking the permission of the representative to visit
the shrine of Lord Ayyappa they proceed with their journey. From here the Sannidhanam is about 6 km.
The neeli hill is as difficult as the Azhutha and Karimala. The top of Neeli hill is called Appachi medu.
Here there are two abysses - Appachi kuzhi and Ippachi kuzhi. Kanniswamy throw rice balls here to
calm down the evil spirits present around the place. From this point the ground is almost even. Some
distance from here is the Sabari peetam.

According to legend, the temple of Sabarimala and the deity of Ayyappa have always been regarded as
the Pandalam Raja's very own, and it is not considered proper to proceed to the temple without the
king's knowledge and permission. To make it easy for pilgrims to obtain the necessary permission, a
representative of the king sits even today, with all the royal insignia, on a raised platform at the base
of the Neelimala Hill. The pilgrims offer a token amount to the royal representative, and receive
vibhuti from him.
This marks the beginning of the steepest climb of the pilgrimage, the 3 km trek up the majestic
Neelimala Hill, atop which sits Lord Ayyappa in all his glory. The pilgrims wind their way up the
difficult trail in an unending stream, the hill reverberating with the constant chanting of thousands.
Sabari Peetam :

This was the Kota where Shri Sabari, in Sri Rama's era, performed Tapas. Pilgrims worship here
breaking coconuts, firing crackers and lighting camphor.

Saramkuthi :

Half way between Sabari Peetam and Sannidhanam is Saramkuthi. Kanniswamy leave the wooden arrow
they picked from Erumeli here.

Patinettampadi :

The holy Patinettampadi (18 steps) is 15 minute walk from Saramkuthi. The Golden steps is such a
magnificent sight. Pilgrims chant saranams loudly. After breaking the coconut they climb the 18 steps
to have the darshan of Lord Ayyappa

At the first sight of the Patinettampadi, the holy eighteen steps, a full throated cry goes up from the
devotees, "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa!" It is the realisation of a mission.

Built on a plateau about 40 feet high, the Ayyappan temple commands a lofty view of the mountains
and valleys all around. The ancient temple has been rebuilt after a fire in 1950, consisting of a sanctum
sanctorum with a copper-plated roof and four golden finials at the top, two mandapams, the
belikalpura which houses the altar, and the flag-staff. Replacing the earlier stone image of the deity is
a beautiful idol of Ayyappa in panchaloha, an alloy of five metals, about one and a half feet tall.

There are several explanations regarding the significance of the Patinettampadi, but in all of them, the
emphasis is on the number 18. One popular belief is that the first 5 steps signify the five indriyas or
senses, the next 8 the ragas, the next 3 the gunas, followed by vidya and avidya. Crossing these would
take the devotee closer to self-realisation. Finally, at the eighteenth step, the devotee is at last face
to face with the image of the Lord Ayyappa, or Dharma Sasta. A circumambulation brings him right in
front of the sanctum sanctorum, and the pilgrim is filled with a sense of accomplishment and utter
peace. But there is one more thing to be done - the ghee abhisheka, or bathing of the idol in ghee,
which marks the culmination of the pilgrimage. The ghee-filled coconut which the pilgrim has carried
in the front section of his irumudi is broken, and the ghee is offered to the deity. Another important
abhisheka is of vibhuti, which is also brought by the devotee in his irumudi.

To the south-west of the main temple is the shrine of Lord Ganapati, known as Kannimula Ganapati.
The special offering to this deity is Ganapati homan; and there used to be a large homakunda in front
of the shrine, which burned constantly, fed by the coconut shells thrown by the devotees, after
offering the ghee. As the coconut shells are consumed by the fire, the sins of the devotees are believed
to be cleansed. Due to the growing crowds in the temple, the homakunda has now been shifted to a
location below the temple.
About a 100 metres away is the shrine of Malikappurathamma. En route to the shrine is the temple
tank, Bhasma Kulam, in which hundreds of devotees take a holy bath in memory of the tapaswini Sabari
who entered a fire to end her mortal life. It is after her that the peak is named Sabarimala.On account
of the number of people who bathe in the tank, the water is frequently drained out and refilled with
fresh water.
Situated on a small hillock, the Malikappurathamma temple houses the shrines of the Devi and
Kaduthaswamy. Devotees also worship a trident and lamp here, and offer coconuts. The coconuts are
not broken, however, but are just rolled on the ground around the temple.

To the left of this temple are the shrines of the snake god and goddess, Nagaraja and Nagayakshi.
Here, tribals beat on drums, play stringed instruments and sing sarppa pattu to protect devotees and
their progeny from the harmful effects of snakebites.

At the foot of the Patinettampadi are the two shrines of Kaduthaswamy and Karuppaswamy, who stand
like dwarapalakas or guardians of the holy steps, to ensure that they are not polluted by those who
tread on them without fulfilling the rigid austerities required of them. They are also believed to
protect the devotees from the evil spirits of the forests. According to legend, Kadutha was a great
warrior who helped the Pandalam king defeat the armies of Udayanan and other enemies. When the
king came to Sabarimalai to reconstruct the temple, Kadutha came with him to protect him.
Ultimately, he became so attached to Ayyappa that he decided to spend the rest of his days with his
Lord.

Also near the Patinettampadi is the shrine of the Muslim Vavurswami. While there are several accounts
of identity of Vavur, it is generally believed that he was a warrior who was defeated and subdued by
Ayyappa, and later became a close associate. It is believed that Lord Ayyappa himself instructed the
Pandalam king to build a mosque for Vavur at Erumeli and a shrine at Sabarimalai.

The Vavur deity is believed to be as old as the original deity of Ayyappa himself, and records show that
the shrine was renovated sometime in 1905. Here, the poojas are conducted by a Muslim priest. There
is no distinguishable idol, but a carved stone slab that represents the deity. A green silken cloth is hung
across one wall, and there is also an old sword. The special offering here is green pepper. Many
devotees also bring a goat to offer to Vavurswami, mainly in the belief that pilgrims accompanied by a
goat will reach the temple safely. These goats are later auctioned by the temple authorities.
The layout of the Ayyappa temple is believed to have originated from the specific instructions of the
Lord himself, who wanted Malikappurathamma, on his left a few yards from Sannidhanam, and his
trusted lieutenants Vavur and Kadutha to be positioned as his guards at the foot of the holy 18 steps.

Sathyamana Patinettampadikale Saranam Ayyappa