SWAMIYE SARANAM AYYAPPA
The Sabarimala temple is a temple complex located at Sabarimala inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India.
It is the site of the one of the largest annual pilgrimage in the world with an estimate of between 17 million and 50 million devotees visiting every year.
The temple is dedicated to the Hindu celibate deity Ayyappan also known as Dharma Sastha, who according to belief is the son of Shiva and Mohini,
the feminine incarnation of Vishnu. The traditions of Sabarimala are a confluence of Shaivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism, and other Śramaṇa traditions.
The temple is situated on a hilltop amidst eighteen hills at an altitude of 480 m (1,574 ft) above sea level, and is surrounded by mountains and dense forests.
The dense forest, part of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, around the temple is known as Poongavanam. Temples exist in each of the hills surrounding Sabarimala.
While functional and intact temples exist at many places in the surrounding areas like Nilakkal, Kalaketty, and Karimala, remnants of old temples survive
to this day on remaining hills.
In response to a PIL filed in 1991, the Kerala High Court had judged that the restriction of entry of women ages 10–50 to the temple was in accordance with the
usage prevalent from time immemorial, and it directed the Devaswom Board to uphold the customary traditions of the temple. However, on 28 September 2018,
the Supreme Court of India overturned the restriction on the entry of women, declaring it unconstitutional and discriminatory.
more than 10 lakh devotees to get the darshan
from Lord Ayyappa every year. The pilgrims of sabarimala have to reach the temple through difficult treks in the forest to reach sannidhanam which have 18 sacred
steps to workship Lord Ayyappa. The pilgrims have to follow a stirict observe celibacy for 41 days before going to sabarimala