The mythology behind Lord Ayyappa

V K Rajagopal

How old is the Sabarimala prilgrimage? And what is the historical setting of Lord Ayyappa and Lord Sasthavu? None of the available historical records seems to throw light on how Sabarimala has turned out to be a most famed centre of pilgrimage in this part of the country. However, several historical and mythological folklores of the region are intertwined in such a manner that it sketches a colourful story about Sabarimala and it remains firmly etched on the minds of worshippers for generations.

Interestingly, each of the cult figures and customs of Sabarimala such as Dharmasasthavu, Ayyappan, Vavar, Erumeli Pettathullal etc claim to have their own historical and mythological backdrop. And it's also a fact that, all of them find a refined co-relation between each other on some point or the other. One strong version is that Lord Ayyappa is a reincarnation of Sree Dharmasastavu while yet another version states that he was a war-hero of the kingdom of Pandalam who valiantly fought against the Maravappada that terrorised the region.

It's a combination of karma, bhakti and jhana-yoga that signify Sabarimala pilgrimage. The several lakhs of pilgrims from different sects and religion that congregate at the Sannidanam during the pilgrimage season single-mindedly bow before Lord Sasthavu considering him as the pretector of the land. Sabarimala is one such place of worship where the idol is belived to be a secular one. And this idol was fair enough from the time immeorial to remain tolerant to all other religions even at a time when social evils like untouchability and casteism had its dominance in the society.

Lt. B.S. Ward, an Anglican who had extensively toured the region in 1818 has recorded that the Sabarimala temple must have been built some 4000 years ago. Even though documentary evidence was not available to refer to, it is generally considered that Sabarimala existed during the era of Ramayana as there are a number of references to many places in Sabarimala.