Sabarimala

 Sabarimala, this word has been etched in the minds of devotees. During the Sabarimala season, I have seen a huge influx of devotees on TV and in the newspaper. From childhood itself, I wondered what is in there. After Sabarimala’s visit, my neighbors use to give us Aravana and Unni appam. It’s very delicious. My father visited there along with his friends.

Sabarimala was a controversial topic in Kerala a few years ago. Women were restricted from entering Sabarimala. After the Supreme Court Judgement, allowing women to enter the temple, a serious widespread protest took place in Kerala.

What is the specialty of this place? Why people are crazy about this? I used to wonder.

It was my dream to visit Sabarimala.

Finally, I got a chance. My neighborhood brothers were going to Sabarimala. They called me to join them. Although I belong to another religion, they were happy to have me. My parents permitted me. Including me, there were 5 of them. Amal Chettan, Anandhu Chettan, Anoop Chettan, and Chindu Chettan were my fellow companions (31/12/2021). Amal Chettan visited Sabarimala 14 times. I came to know that if a person visits 18 times, he receives a particular status.

One thing is that they were Communist. Also active in politics. We believe that communist people don’t believe in God. In China, a huge percentage of people are atheists. But in Kerala, most of the communist people believe in God. We can see 2 different Communism in Kerala and China.

Before going to Sabarimala, there are a few rituals to be done.

We went to Pazavangadi Temple, the poojari put ‘mala’ in our neck then he chanted some mantras. Next is to throw and break the coconut. I hate this. I used to wonder why wasting it. If we want to make God happy we can serve food to the needy instead of wasting it. Although all Hindus, believe that breaking a coconut before any auspicious occasion will bring blessings of God. Chindu Chettan told me that, they collect all these broken coconuts and take them to the factory and make oils.

In the evening, an old man came. He is known as Guru Swamy. He visited Sabarimala 18 times. They believe that visiting Sabarimala 18 times will bring everlasting blessings of God. Only these people have the right to perform poojas.

Since it was my debut visit, I was the first to perform the rituals. I did as Guru Swamy told me. First, put a hole in a coconut, then pour Ghee into it and seal it. I did this 3 times and put it in a bag. It’s a bag that devotees carry on their heads. Everyone were chanting, ‘Swamiye Saranamayyapa’. Likewise, the 4 of them did the same thing. Before going we need to break a coconut. I throw but missed the aim. I got scared because I thought these people would say ‘Oh! It’s a bad sign, something terrible will happen. But nothing happened like that. They said it's okay.

During the journey, they played Ayyapan songs. We wore a black dress. We also discussed topics like myths, stories all that. From Trivandrum to Sabarimala it took 3 hours to reach. We reached there at 1.30 am. It was a sleepless night. But I was feeling very sleepy. Devotees were flowing. I saw Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi speaking people. The whole time they were chanting ‘Swamiye Saranamayyapa’. Their devotion is extreme. I have seen people walking a long-distance barefoot to Sabarimala. They believe that if they undergo hardship God will bless them.

Then we went to the Pamba river. Devotees were taking a holy dip in the river. One thing I know is that all scared rivers are polluted only. If you see Ganga or Yamuna, these rivers are extremely polluted today. Pamba river was also polluted to some extent. Then we got into the queue. There was an end number of people. When I saw the long queue, I felt dizzy. First of all, I was feeling sleepy, standing in the queue for a long time will make me faint. The people around me were so energetic. Their faith and belief were tremendous.

We need to climb a mountain. I thought we would go a few distances, climb the 18 steps, see Ayyapa, and go home. But in reality, it was a herculean task. We need to climb a mountain. The main shrine is 6-7 km away. We were not allowed to wear sandals. Metal was put on the way. The time was about morning 3.30 am. We started to climb. First, it was okay but later I started to suffer. Walking on the metal gave me a paining sensation in my legs. All the time I was thinking about when this will end. I was feeling very sleepy. Others were so energetic. Some of them carry others on their back. Small kids were running. Some of them were loudly crying ‘Swamiye Saranamayyapa’. I felt a devotion vibe around me. I moved on. I felt a cramp in my legs also my foot started to bleed but I moved on. After a hectic walk, we reached the main shrine by 5 am. I was relieved. When I saw a massive queue that take as to the 18 steps, I got disappointed. Luckily Amal Chettan know some of the officials there, with their help we went straight to the 18 steps. After climbing the 18 steps, I saw a phrase, ‘Tht tvam asi’. The crowd was huge. I felt heat in my body. I got trapped in between the huge crowd. I got only a small glimpse of Ayyapa’s idol. Then others went to meet the Thantri to seek his blessings. All thanks to Amal Chettan, otherwise we need to stay in the queue for long hours.

It was 6 am. I was sleepy and dozed off. Sleep helped me to forget all my weariness and tiredness. By 8 am I and Chindu chettan went to explore the surroundings of Sabarimala. We saw shops and different kinds of people. We took photos. The shrine looked beautiful. The area was surrounded by forest. We had our breakfast. After everyone wakeup, we went to buy Aravana and Unni appam. We bought some tin. Some of them were buying 10-12 boxes of tin.

By 12.30 pm we set off our journey from Sabarimala.

First of all my main aim was to know what Sabarimala looks and feels like. The devotees undergo vratham for 40 days. Through this, they make themselves ready (I didn’t take any vratham). They are ready to face any hardship and sacrifices for God. Some people walk 100’s of km to Sabarimala barefoot. There each time they will be screaming ‘Swamiye Saranamayyapa’. Their energy is at the zenith. Moreover, we can only enter Sabarimala through a Muslim mosque. This displays religious unity. Sabarimala was a variety experience for me.

One day I will surely visit the ‘Mecca of Hindus’, Haridwar, Varanasi, all those places. Also, it’s my desire to know Kumbh Mela.