SabarimalaSreeDharmaSasthaTemplewhichattractsmillionsofdevoteeseveryyearfromall overthecountryandabroad,isoneoftheancientmountainshrinessituatedinadeep,dense forestonthevirginhillofSabari,intheRanni-PerunadvillageofPathanamthittadistrictofKerala, in South India.Surroundedbylushtropicaljunglesand18hills,theshrineisover4000ftabovesealevel. SabarimalaispartofSahyadris(WesternGhats);remnantsofancienttemplesarevisibleintheadjoininghillsandatNilackal,Kalaketi and Karimala offerings are still made to the devis/devas.VavarThara’islocatedclosetotheShriDharmaSasthatemple.LegendhasitthatVavar,asufisaint,wasclosetoSwamiAyyappa. Locationof‘VavarNada’inthepremisesofSreeDharmaSasthatempleandthecustomofAyyappadevoteesofferingtheirprayersat theVavarNadaarehailedasfineexamplesofsecularismandcommunalharmony.AnothersignificantaspectofSabarimalapilgrimage isthatpilgrims,irrespectiveofcastorreligionorwealthareconsideredequalbeforeLordAyyapaandallofthemaddresseachotheras Ayyappa or Swamy (in the true spirit of the words Thatwamasi). Pooja & accommodation booking are available online SABARIMALA SREE DHARMA SASTHA ANNADHANA TRUSTLordAyyappa,thepresidingdeityofSabarimalatempleisaddressedbypilgrimsas“AnnadhanaPrabhu”.Thereforeprovidingfoodto the pilgrims who come to Sabarimala is an act of devotion and is very close to Ayyappa Dharma.TheTravancoreDevaswomBoard,whichisthegoverningbodyofSabarimalatemplehasimplementedfreefoodschemetothe Sabarimaladevotees,bothatSabarimalaandPampaincludingtheidathavalams.SincemillionsofpilgrimscometoSabarimalaevery year,thisprogrammeneedssubstantialresourcesforefficaciousimplementation.TheBoardhasformedaTrustbynameSABARIMALA SREEDHARMASASTHAANNADHANATRUSTwiththemainobjectiveofprovidingfreefoodtopilgrimsvisitingSabarimalaandother temples.Itisourearnesthopethatthisnobleventurewillbeagrandsuccess.TheBoardhasconstructedanAnnadhanaMandapam behindtheMalikappuramTempleanditisthebiggestoneinIndia.TheBoardisequippedtoservefreefoodformorethantwolakhs pilgrims round the clock every day.Contributions may be sent to :The Executive OfficerSabarimala DevaswomPathanamthitta DistrictKeralaPhone:04735-202028ORThe Devaswom Accounts Officer, Travancore Devaswom Board, Devaswom Board Building, Nanthancode, Thiruvananthapuram, (Phone:0471-2315837) Fax:0471-2315834, Email:devaswomaccountsofficer@gmail.comYou can also contribute for annadanam online Kanikka / HundiSabarimalahasintroducedonlineKanikka/Hundi.Lakhsofdevoteesconvergeduring thepilgrimageseasonhavetheoptiontoelectronicallytransfertheirofferingonline.
Kottarakkara Ganapathi Temple
KottarakkaraGanapathiTempleisoneoftheimportantLordGaneshTemplesinKerala,situatedin Kottarakkaraabout25kmfromKollamand72kmtothenorthofThiruvananthapuram.Thetemple isaroundcenturiesoldandisnowoneofthefamouspilgrimcentersinSouthIndia.Kottarakkara GanapathyTemplewaspreviouslyknownasManikandeswaramMahadevaTempleor KizhakkekkaraShivaTemple,asLordShivaisthemaindeityworshippedhere.However,theshrine isrenownedforthedeityofLordGaneshawhoaccordingtolegendswasnotinstalledasperthe tantra(spiritualpracticesandritualformsofworship)rituals.KottarakkaraGanapathyTempleissaidtobethebirthplaceofKathakali, the popular classical dance-drama form of Kerala.Poojaavailalbeforonlinebooking:GANAPATHIHOMAM,Ashothararchana,JALADHARA,THRISSATHYARCHANA, SHASRANAMARCHANA,KUDUMBARCHANA,SAMVADASUKTHARCHANA,MRITHUNJAYAARCHANA,AIKKYAMADHYASOOKTHARCHANA, Bhagyasuktharchana,Karukahomam,UDRABHISHEKAM,PUSHPANJALY,SWAYAMVARARCHANAAZHILYAPOOJA, VIDHYASOOKTHARCHANA,SATHRUSAMHARARCHANA,SANKHABHISHEKAM,DANNONDHARAMANDRARCHANA,KUNKUMARCHANA PINVILAKKU, SIVA POOJA
Nilakkal Sree Mahadeva Temple
NilakkalMahadevaTempleisalocatedinNilakkal,intheeasternsideofPathanamthittadistrictof Keralastate,India.ThetempleisdedicatedtolordShivaanditisoneoftheimportant "idathavalam"orhaltingplacefortheSabarimalapiligrims.Theshrineisadministratedby Travancore Devaswom Board. During Sabarimala pilgrimage, lots of devotees visit the temple.LordShivaisthepresidingdeityandit'sbelievedtobeintwomoods,Ugramoorthy(fierce)and Mangalapradayakan(auspicious).AcommonbeliefisthatLordShivaisshoweringhisblessingstohissonLordAyyappatofightagainst allevilspiritswhilethrowingallangertotheevils.AsinmanyShivashrines,anumberofoxesareprotectedinthetemplepremises. There is only two Upa Prathishtas (sub deities) here, Lord Kannimoola Ganapathi and Nandi.The"MahaShivaratri"heldannuallyisoneofthenotedfestivalsofthetemple.BesidesShivarathri,thetemplecelebratesits Thiruvutsavameveryyearingrandstyle.AttimesofSabarimalapilgrimage,devoteesfromvariousstatesvisitthetemplefortheir welfare and sake.
PampaGanapathyTemple,alsoknownasPampaGanapatiKovil,isdedicatedtoLordGanesha.This isthefirsttempleandholyspotonthewayfromPambatoSannidanam.PampaGanapathiTemple atPampa,60kmsfromPathanamthittatownand8KmsfromSabarimala,hasanimportantrollin theSabarimalapilgrimageasitisthemainhaltingpoint.Sabarimalapilgrimsfromdifferentroute meetatPampaandthenproceedtoSannidhanam.Duringearlydaysofthepilgrimage,pilgrims facedmanydifficultiesatPampa.Onperforming“Prasnachinda”,thepresenceofGanapathiwas foundandatemplewasconsecrated.Basedon“Jyothishaprediction,thedeityofoldGanapathiwasconsecratedas“AdiGanapathi”as lord of Sidhi and Budhi.
Peroor Sree Krishna Swamy Temple
PeroorSreeKrishnaSwamyTempleisanancientHinduTemplesituatednearAmbalamukkuin ThiruvananthapuramMunicipalCorporation.AmbalamukkuJnis6kmfromThiruvananthapuram centralBusStandandRailwayStation.ThetempleisdedicatedtoLordSreeKrishnaandis administeredbyTravancoreDevaswomBoard.Peroorkada'snamecamefromthisholytemple.The templeisfamousas'ThekkanGuruvayoor'.ThemaindeityofthistempleisLordSreeKrishna.Sub-deities include Ganapathi, Shiva, Bhagavathy, Ayyappan, Muruga, Nagas and Navagrahas.Theannualfestivalcontinuesfortendays.ItbeginsbyhoistingtheflagonthegoldenflagstaffonThiruvonamStardayinthe MalayalammonthofMeenamandfinishesbyAarattuonthetenthday.TheAaratturitualisheldatSasthamangalamMahadevar Temple premises and on that evening a spectacular procession continues from the temple.
Janardanaswamy Temple
JanardanaSwamiTempleisa2000-year-oldtemplesituatedinVarkala,Thiruvananthapuram.Itis alsoknownasVarkalaTemple.JanardanaSwamiisaformofLordVishnu.Itisaverywellknown templeinKeralaabout10.9kmwestofKallambalamonNH66nearsea,25kmnorthof Thiruvananthapuramcity,13kmsouthoffamousbackwaterdestinationParavurand2kmfrom VarkalaSivagirirailwaystation,14kmnorthwestofbiggesttownAttingal.Itissituatednearthe Arabian sea shore.It is referred to as Dakshin Kashi (Benares of the south).
Sarkaradevi Temple
SarkaradeviTempleisoneofthemostimportanttemplesinSouthIndia.ItissituatedSouthofthe ChirayinkeezhuTaluk(intheNorth-WestofThiruvananthapuramdistrict).Thenearesttownis AttingalandVarkala.ItsmaindeityisBhadrakali.TheSarkaradeviTempleassumedasignificant statusformanyreasonsandrosetohistoricalimportancemainlywiththeintroductionofthe famous Kaliyoot festival by Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the Travancore sovereign, in 1748.TheSarkaradeviTemplehavesomebasicattachmentwithNakramcodeDeviTemplewhichlocated in Avanavanchery,Attingal.
Sreekanteswaram Mahadewa Temple
SreekanteswaramTempleisoneofthemostFamousShivatempleinKerala.Situatedinthecapital townThriuvanthapuram,Kerala,India.Thetempleismorethan700yearsold.Templeisdedicatedto LordShiva.TheolderTemplewithLordShivaandLordVishnuhasasimilarnamecalled Puthanchantha. so the temple was known as Pazhaya.SreekanteswaramTemplehasahistorybehindthat,oncetherewasanoldsweepermaidinthis temple,thewomenwhousedtoworkinusedtotakerestundertheshultterofatreenearherownhut.Shewouldalwayskeepher broomandpotnearatree.Thewomentriedtoliftthepotonedayasregularbutitdidnotmove.Soshetriedtobreakthepotusinga abstcalsshehad.Immeditlyshefoundthatthepotwasbleedingprofusely.BythisthedevotiesbelievedthatLordShivagavedarshan totheoldwomen.ItisdistinguishedastheSwyambhoo(selfmanifested)ShivaLingaidolintheSreekanteswaramTemple.Atthe templeanannualfestivalwillbeconductedanditlastsfortendaysandwillbecelebratedintheMalayalammonthDhanuduringthe month of december and january.
Thirumullavaram Sri Maha Vishnu Swami Temple
ThirumullavaramSriMahaVishnuSwamiTempleislocatedatadistanceof8KmsfromKollamand issituatedveryclosetotheArabianSea.Uponenteringthetemplethereisanidoldepictingthe MythicalbirdGaruda,whichisbelievedtobethevehiclemountortheVahanaoftheHinduLord Vishnu.Thetempleseeslargecrowdofdevoteesvisitingeveryseason,itisadvisedtovisitthe templeduringtheKarkadakaVaavuseasonwhichfallsinbetweenthemonthsofJulyandAugust. Everyyearthousandsandmoredevoteesvisitthetemplepremisestoprayfortheirdepartedon thefirstdayofthenewmooninthemonthofKarkidakam,thenearanddearonesofferBaliora Sacrifice for the ease of the departed at the Thirumullavarum beach.
Thiruvallam Parasu Rama Swami Temple
This temple is situated at Thiruvallam in Thiruvananthapuram City on Kazhakkuttam-Kovalam by-pass road. The temple is located at the ‘Triveni Sangama’ of rivers Karamana, Killi and Parvathiputhanar. The main speciality of this temple is that, it is a Trimurthy temple were Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahama have separate shrines. According to myothology, sage Parasurama had killed his own mother as commanded by this father. To get rid of this sin, sage Parasurama visted many palces. As advised by Lord Shiva, he came to this place and had a bath in the Karamanai river. After that he got the Shivalinga here, established it and performed penance in this place cleansed himself of the dosha. He also performed Tharpan (last rites) for his mother here. It says that the temple was built during the 12th and 13th century, during late Pandyan period. The temple is considered as a protected monument by the Archaeology Department of Kerala. It is famous for Balitharpanam (a tribute to ancestors). Legend has it that Lord Parasurama is the creator of Kerala and the temple dedicated to him is considered as a holy place for his devotees. During the karkidaka vavu day (a holiday in the Malayalam month of karkidakam) as part of the bali (a religious ritual), devotees pay homage to the departed souls of forefathers, after taking a dip in the holy water.
SabarimalaSreeDharma SasthaTemplewhichattracts millionsofdevoteesevery yearfromalloverthecountry andabroad,isoneofthe ancientmountainshrines situatedinadeep,denseforestonthevirginhillofSabari,inthe Ranni-PerunadvillageofPathanamthittadistrictofKerala,inSouth India.Surroundedbylushtropicaljunglesand18hills,theshrineisover 4000ftabovesealevel.SabarimalaispartofSahyadris(Western Ghats);remnantsofancienttemplesarevisibleintheadjoining hillsandatNilackal,KalaketiandKarimalaofferingsarestillmade to the devis/devas.VavarThara’islocatedclosetotheShriDharmaSasthatemple. LegendhasitthatVavar,asufisaint,wasclosetoSwamiAyyappa. Locationof‘VavarNada’inthepremisesofSreeDharmaSasthatempleandthecustomofAyyappadevoteesofferingtheirprayers attheVavarNadaarehailedasfineexamplesofsecularismand communalharmony.AnothersignificantaspectofSabarimala pilgrimageisthatpilgrims,irrespectiveofcastorreligionorwealth areconsideredequalbeforeLordAyyapaandallofthemaddress eachotherasAyyappaorSwamy(inthetruespiritofthewords Thatwamasi). Pooja & accommodation booking are available online SABARIMALA SREE DHARMA SASTHA ANNADHANA TRUSTLordAyyappa,thepresidingdeityofSabarimalatempleis addressedbypilgrimsas“AnnadhanaPrabhu”.Therefore providingfoodtothepilgrimswhocometoSabarimalaisanactof devotion and is very close to Ayyappa Dharma.TheTravancoreDevaswomBoard,whichisthegoverningbodyof Sabarimalatemplehasimplementedfreefoodschemetothe Sabarimaladevotees,bothatSabarimalaandPampaincludingthe idathavalams.SincemillionsofpilgrimscometoSabarimalaevery year,thisprogrammeneedssubstantialresourcesforefficacious implementation.TheBoardhasformedaTrustbyname SABARIMALASREEDHARMASASTHAANNADHANATRUSTwiththe mainobjectiveofprovidingfreefoodtopilgrimsvisiting Sabarimalaandothertemples.Itisourearnesthopethatthis nobleventurewillbeagrandsuccess.TheBoardhasconstructed anAnnadhanaMandapambehindtheMalikappuramTempleand itisthebiggestoneinIndia.TheBoardisequippedtoservefree food for more than two lakhs pilgrims round the clock every day.Contributions may be sent to :The Executive OfficerSabarimala DevaswomPathanamthitta DistrictKeralaPhone:04735-202028ORThe Devaswom Accounts Officer, Travancore Devaswom Board, Devaswom Board Building, Nanthancode, Thiruvananthapuram, (Phone:0471-2315837) Fax:0471-2315834, Email:devaswomaccountsofficer@gmail.comYou can also contribute for annadanam online Kanikka / HundiSabarimalahasintroducedonlineKanikka/Hundi.Lakhsof devoteesconvergeduringthepilgrimageseasonhavetheoption toelectronicallytransfertheirofferingonline.
PampaGanapathyTemple,alsoknownasPampaGanapatiKovil,is dedicatedtoLordGanesha.Thisisthefirsttempleandholyspot onthewayfromPambato Sannidanam.Pampa GanapathiTempleatPampa, 60kmsfromPathanamthitta townand8Kmsfrom Sabarimala,hasanimportant rollintheSabarimala pilgrimageasitisthemainhaltingpoint.Sabarimalapilgrimsfrom differentroutemeetatPampaandthenproceedtoSannidhanam. Duringearlydaysofthepilgrimage,pilgrimsfacedmany difficultiesatPampa.Onperforming“Prasnachinda”,thepresence ofGanapathiwasfoundandatemplewasconsecrated.Basedon “Jyothishaprediction,thedeityofoldGanapathiwasconsecrated as “Adi Ganapathi” as lord of Sidhi and Budhi.
ThirumullavaramSriMaha VishnuSwamiTempleis locatedatadistanceof8Kms fromKollamandissituated veryclosetotheArabianSea. UponenteringthetemplethereisanidoldepictingtheMythical birdGaruda,whichisbelievedtobethevehiclemountorthe VahanaoftheHinduLordVishnu.Thetempleseeslargecrowdof devoteesvisitingeveryseason,itisadvisedtovisitthetemple duringtheKarkadakaVaavuseasonwhichfallsinbetweenthe monthsofJulyandAugust.Everyyearthousandsandmore devoteesvisitthetemplepremisestoprayfortheirdepartedon thefirstdayofthenewmooninthemonthofKarkidakam,the nearanddearonesofferBalioraSacrificefortheeaseofthe departed at the Thirumullavarum beach.
Thiruvallam Parasu Rama Swami Temple
This temple is situated at Thiruvallam in Thiruvananthapuram City on Kazhakkuttam-Kovalam by-pass road. The temple is located at the ‘Triveni Sangama’ of rivers Karamana, Killi and Parvathiputhanar. The main speciality of this temple is that, it is a Trimurthy temple were Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahama have separate shrines. According to myothology, sage Parasurama had killed his own mother as commanded by this father. To get rid of this sin, sage Parasurama visted many palces. As advised by Lord Shiva, he came to this place and had a bath in the Karamanai river. After that he got the Shivalinga here, established it and performed penance in this place cleansed himself of the dosha. He also performed Tharpan (last rites) for his mother here. It says that the temple was built during the 12th and 13th century, during late Pandyan period. The temple is considered as a protected monument by the Archaeology Department of Kerala. It is famous for Balitharpanam (a tribute to ancestors). Legend has it that Lord Parasurama is the creator of Kerala and the temple dedicated to him is considered as a holy place for his devotees. During the karkidaka vavu day (a holiday in the Malayalam month of karkidakam) as part of the bali (a religious ritual), devotees pay homage to the departed souls of forefathers, after taking a dip in the holy water.