|
Home > Temples of Kerala >Ayyappa Temples in Kerala Ayyappa Temples in Kerala
Ayyappan is a Hindu deity. Lord Ayyappan is worshiped in a number of shrines across India; at Kulathupuzha inKerala he is worshiped as a child; at Achenkovil in conjunction with his consorts, Pushkala and Poorna; and at Sabarimala as an ascetic - a celibate meditating in solitude for the benefit of all mankind. The name "Ayyappan" is used as a respectful form of address in Malayalam, and the famous mantra Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa can be directly translated as Give me shelter, Lord Ayyappa! He is considered to be born out of the union between Mohini, (Vishnu), and Shiva.The most famous Ayyappa shrine in India is the one at Sabarimala with over 50 million devotees visiting it every year, making it the second largest pilgrimage in the world. Ayyappa is known as "Hariharan Puthiran" because he is the son of both Hari(Vishnu) and Haran(Siva). His most common name is Manikandan because soon after his birth his parents (Mohini & Shiva) tied a necklace with a gem (mani) around his neck (kandan).
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
.jpg){kind=icon}
.jpg){kind=icon}
