Sabarimala Temple

Sabarimala Temple or Ayyappa Swamy Temple or Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple is a Hindu temple located at Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Perinad Village of Pathanamthitta district of Kerala state. With an estimated 40 to 50 million devotees arriving each year, it is one of the largest annual pilgrimage destinations in the world.

Sabarimala temple is devoted to Ayyappan, also known as Dharma Shasta, a Hindu Brahmachari (Celibate) deity who, in accordance with popular belief, is the son of Shiva and Mohini, the feminine incarnation of Vishnu. The temple is surrounded by mountains and thick forests and is perched on top of one of 18 hills, 1260 meters above sea level. Poongavanam is the name of the lush forest that surrounds the temple and is a part of the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

Sabarimala temple is open for worship only during the days of Mandala Pooja (approximately 15 November to 26 December), Makara Sankranti (14 January), and Maha Thirumal Sankranti (14 April), and the first five days of each Malayalam month. Sabarimala Temple is located 72 kilometers away from Pathanamthitta town. The nearest railway station is at Kottayam which is 63 kilometers away and the closest airport is at Trivandrum which is located 107 kilometers away from the temple.

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