Sabarimala - Pilgrim season : November - mid-January.
Amidst the virgin forest wilderness of the Western Ghats lies the
sacred mountain 'Sabarimala', a major pilgrim centre in India. The
landscape has vast unending stretches of forests, rivers and plantations.
Evergreen and moist deciduous forest cover half the total district
area. The holy Pamba river formed by the confluence of five smaller
rivers, descends from the Sabarimala. The sanctum sanctorum nestles
914 metres above sea level.
The shrine is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa who is believed to have been
born from the union of Lord Vishnu, the Preserver, and Lord Siva,
the Destroyer. No woman devotee in the fertility age group is allowed
to proceed beyond Pamba. Devotees undertake rigorous penance, ritualistic
vows and fasts for 41 days before they visit the temple. The main
festivals are the Mandala pooja, the Makara vilakku in December-January
and the Vishu vilakku in April. Millions of devotees, irrespective
of caste, creed and colour, from all over the country, climb the 18
sacred steps to the sanctum sanctorum for a glimpse of Lord Ayyappa.
Sabarimala - Getting there:
Inaccessible by road or rail, one has to trek a distance of 4 km
to reach the shrine. Transportation is available only upto Pamba,
which is 66 km from Pathanamthitta.
Sabarimala - Nearest railway station: Chengannur,
about 28 km from Pathanamthitta
Sabarimala - Nearest airports : Thiruvananthapuram
International Airport, about 119 km from Pathanamthitta; Cochin International
Airport, about 133 km from Pathanamthitta
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