ThThe season is filled with calls by devotees that seem to repeatedly
echo the submission of the seeker to supreme. All paths lead to the abode of
Swamy and the resolve to visit him is enough to brave the bitter cold and
the toughest of terrain that each Swamy has to endure. For the devotee, the
means and end is Ayappa, the redeemer of ignorance.
The path to
Ayappa, strewn with rough stones and thorns, winds through thick forests and
tricky ridges. The aim is to reach the sanctum sanctorum of the Swamy and
nothing else. The austerities are all focussed on renouncing the seven
causes of pain. Each Swamy carries a bundle on his/her head, which is full
of oblations to the lord and signifies renunciation and sacrifice.
The first stop for the devotee is Erumeli where the lord manifests as an
archer, the form that is believed to have ended the life of Mahishi, a
demoness. Mahishi is believed to have taken the form of a buffalo to spread
terror in the land and Ayappa is believed to have killed her.
Here
one can see 'Rudirakulam,' the pool in which Mahishi breathed her last. The
house in which Ayappa spent the night may also be seen here. Recently, when
the house caught fire, the place where Ayappa's sword was kept escaped the
inferno.
Pettathullal, or a kind of ritualistic dance, is performed
here by devotees. While it was restricted to the month of Dhanu earlier, it
is common now even during the time of monthly poojas. It is now a common
sight to see devotees moving about in ritualistic attire to perform.
It is here that one proceeds to visit the mosque of Vavar and offer
obeisance after praying at the small temple. When one moves to the big
temple form the mosque, the ritual ends the divide between religions. After
Pettathullal, one needs to keep an arrow in custody so as to signify that
one is part of the army of Ayappa.
The route, after crossing
Kottapadi moves into Perurthodu, at which point devotees take a dip in a
rivulet. It is believed that Lord Siva tied his bull to a tree at
'Kaalaketti' after visiting Ayappa following the murder of Mahishi. At
Kaalaketti, one visits a temple and then crosses the Azhutha river. From
here one slowly progresses to the famed 'Karimala,' which used to be the
fort of a well known jungle thief, Udayanan. Crossing Karimala, one meets
the holy river Pampa where obeisance is paid to departed souls in the
family. Here one makes it a point to visit 'Pampa Ganapathi,' who removes
all obstacles on the way. Crossing Neelimala and Appachimedu, one reaches
the abode of the Swamy. On the way, the arrows that were brought from
Erumeli have to be deposited at Sharamkuthi.
Steeped in devotion and
accompanied by loud chants that praise the lord, thousands climb the 18
steps that are symbolic of the prescribed spiritual steps on the path to
salvation and subsequent moksha- redemption from the cycles of life. There
one sees Ayappa, the embodiment of supreme consciousness, above the myriad
pulls and complexities of the forests, which symbolises the mind.
Ruling over and served by 'Bhutas' and 'Ganas,' the embodiments of
materialism, the lord who is free from all afflictions and who is pure in
content manifests with the 'Abhaya Mudra,' a promise that all seeking him-
the truth- shall attain peace and tranquillity. Then, when you mix as a drop
in that ocean of spirituality, forgetting your existence and your ego and
all your past, present and future, your only presence in this world becomes
the three mere words- 'Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa.'
