The holy destination Sabarimala of Kerala is our next Indian tourist place. The word Sabarimala means mountain of Sabari (a well-known character of Ramayana). This popular religious spot is between thick dense forests of Kerala. Sabarimala temple is the symbol of equality, love and spiritual devotion. Holy Pampa River is also flowing from the region of Pathanamthitta. People from north India are not much aware of Sabarimala because it’s a kind of secret holy place having huge values for south India people. Sabarimala is the most impressive temple located in jungle.
The Ayyappa Swami
temple placed on mountain is major attraction of this place. Adventure lovers
will get countless dangerous spots for trekking. Undulated mountainous
environment, lush green jungles, fuzzy streams, tweeting birds and huge varieties
of flowers turn the climb with enjoyable experience. To reach Sabarimala people
can get the route of Pampa Town. From this Indian tourist place people have to cover 3 km
trekking distance that will take nearly two hours to reach top.
This unpopulated
place is still busy with pilgrims, stores and lodges. According to sources
Saint Parasuram placed the idol of Ayyappa swami in this temple. Talking about
the visit to temple, this shrine is not open all the time. The peak season to
attain the place is from November to January. A big Mandala Pooja is conducted
in this period when people do fasting for 41 days and end their fast in temple.
Millions of devotees
of different caste visit the temple for blessings of God Ayyappa. A Muslim
saint idol and Vavaru Swamy idol are other two must visit spots of Sabarimala. The
finest feature of temple is females below 12 years are only permitted to enter Sabarimala
temple. As this place is full of jungle and countless wild animals are in the
forest, the forest department is handling the devotees attaining to this Indian tourist place.
Along with department, army is also monitoring the area to protect visitors
from animal attack. Because of such difficult place voyagers have to register
with the administration for entering the temple area. The temple itself is having
strict rules and pilgrims have to follow their conditions.
Once you
attain to Sabarimala it will be unforgettable encounter for you.
Attraction of
Sabarimala:
Ayyappa
Temple: A prime location of this town is Ayyappa Swami temple. Idol of Malikapurathamma
Devi is also placed in left side of temple. The other name of God Ayyappa is
Manikantan.
Makaravilakku:
The annual fest of Sabarimala is also the major attraction for visitors. The
fest is conducted on January 14 when a Jewel Casket is taken from Pandalam
Palace. The idol of Ayyappa is decorated with real regal jewels in this fest.
Malikappuram Devi Shrine: A shrine located on the small rock hill area is another attractive
spot. The temple is placed on two minute walking distance only from main temple.
The other name of this temple is Malika Puratha Amma temple popular for
countless mythological stories. Local people will guide you about the correlation
between God Ayyappa and Goddess Malika Puratha Amma.
Vavaru Shrine:
A temple dedicated to Vavaru Swami (the Muslim saint) is next attaining spot of
Sabarimala. This religious harmony Indian tourist place is amazingly maintained by local administration.
As per sources Vavaru was the pirate came to Kerala through sea. He fought with Lord Ayyappa to get stay in the area. However, he was defeated by Ayyappa God
and later god himself asked people to make his temple in particular region.
Attaining to
Sabarimala:
If you are
planning to reach the spot from Trivandrum then you have to cover the distance
of 126 kms. However, Kochi/Cochin is 171 km away, Coimbatore is 320 km far, Bangalore is
547 km distant and Hyderabad is 1155 km far.
By Train: Closest
railhead to reach Sabarimala is Chengannur located at only gap of 37 kms from
Pamba. This station is on main route between Trivandrum-Kottayam. Private taxi
and SUV cabs are accessible for Chengannur. Trains for Chengannur are available
from Kollam, Bangalore, Chennai, Trivandrum, Delhi, Mumbai, Kanyakumari and
some more cities of India.
By Air: The closest
airbases for Sabarimala are Trivandrum and Kochi / Cochin. However, Trivandrum is International Airport located 126 km distant from city and NIA (Nedumbassery International
Airport) of Kochi/Cochin is located at 171 km distance.
By Bus: If you have planned to go Sabar through
road then try for KSRTC buses available in good volume for Pamba town. You have
to complete the 4 kms trekking from town Pamba to reach Sabari. Town Pamba is properly
linked to many big cities of Kerala through KSRTC buses. You can get the buses
from Kochi / Cochin, Trivandrum, Kottayam, Changanacherry and Chengannur.