Kerala · South
SabarimalaŚabarimala
Hill shrine of Ayyappan in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, reached by the 18 sacred steps
- Principal temple
- Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha TempleAyyappan (Sree Dharma Sastha)
- Best time to visit
- Pilgrimage season only: the temple opens for Mandala Pooja (about 15 November–26 December), Makaravilakku (14 January), 14 April and the first five days of each Malayalam month
- Nearest airport
- Cochin International Airport, ~160 km; Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV), ~170 km
- Nearest railway station
- Chengannur railway station (CNGR), ~85 km; Thiruvalla (TRVL), ~87 km
Overview
Sabarimala is a hill in Perunad village, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, inside Periyar National Park in the Western Ghats at about 1,260 m above sea level; its name is traditionally linked to Shabari of the Ramayana. On it stands the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, where the deity is worshipped as Ayyappan, the son of Shiva and Mohini, and which is one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world. The temple opens only for set periods, chiefly the Mandala Pooja season and Makaravilakku, and most pilgrims now travel by road to Pamba and trek up the Neelimala path to the shrine.
See sources [1–7]- Ayyappan (Sree Dharma Sastha)
- Shiva
