Sabarimala Yatra through ‘Doddapaada’ Route

For so many years I carried an unfulfilled wish of visiting Shabarimala. The beginning of the year marked the fulfillment of this wish. Sincere thanks to all my friends who planned and accompanied me in Doddapaada yatra. I consider myself fortunate to have visited this holy place for the first time in my life by ‘Doddapaada’ route.

We started from Bengaluru by performing the maala wearing ceremony and Irumudi ritual at a nearby temple. After taking parents and dear ones blessings we reached railway station by chanting Sharanam all the way. Every chanting of sharanam was taking me close to the deity- Lord Ayyappa. Deep within my heart I knew this yatra would be a unique experience in itself.

Next morning we got down the train at Kottayam and boarded a bus to Erimala. By the time we reached Erimala it was afternoon. Being a Kanniswamy (Devotee who is visiting Shabarimala for the first time is called Kanniswamy) I was supposed to perform the ritual of tiger hunting with colors painted all over my body. One needs to carry a wooden knife as a weapon of hunting. Experience of dancing to the drum beats was not new but that day I felt the beats were just perfect with rhythm, sound and thud play  in perfect harmony.

After a holy bath and hearty lunch we were now standing on the road that seemed very long and tough. Sharanamchanting induced required strength to cover a distance of 48kms in barefoot and safety – from all the habitants of the woods.

After 2 hours we were 8kms into the deep jungle and now the moon has already taken charge from his counterpart. It looked as if the torch lights in the dark jungle and star lit sky are reflections of one another. Though legs were trying to get along with this tough terrain they were pierced, pressed and twisted every few steps. There were so many devotees passing by and all were chanting in their local languages. At that very moment a thought crossed my mind – Supreme soul has no bias towards any religion, language or region. He listens to everyone and offers his blessings – unlike human beings who are biased.

5 hours passed and now we were tired and legs were numb. Walking in barefoot is no joke especially so on the rugged forest route. We kept ourselves hydrated with water and lemon juice. Water melons and tender coconuts also added some strength. Terrain which was flat at first now turned to ups and downs.Theups and downs then turned to peaks and valleys. These transitions had severe impact on our legs. They too responded ….. At first they were energetic then they turned tired and then weak. We walked continuously for few more hours and realized that we badly need rest.

Someone instructed us to rest for some time since the further terrain was much tougher than what we had covered so far. We relaxed  under a small shelter built specifically for yatra goers and allowed our body to curl, roll, sleep in whichever position it demanded but mind was already racing to the next hill . This hill definitely deserves a mention for its very tough terrain. It’s called Karimala.

We started our trek again towards Karimalaafter few hours of relaxation.  Near the foothills of Karimala we came to know that there was a tree fall the previous night. It took an hour for police personnel to clear off the track and make way for us to continue the yatra. An hour of stagnancy pooled thousands of devotees at that very location. When we started moving it looked as if every tree in that forest is witnessing a never-ending queue of devotees crawling onto the peak of Karimala. Every step on the uphill drained a significant energy from our body which made me realize that this trek demands a strong mental attitude  along with physical strength. Thegruelling and ordeal route seemed never ending….butfinally got down theKarimala successfully in 4 hours.

We reached Pampa next day afternoon. Lost energies rekindled after a holy dip in the river Pampa .Post the finalIrumudi Pooja by Guru Swamy we were on the path to Neelimala.

Neelimala is where Lord Ayyappa’s abode is and that was the final leg in completing the yatra. We reached the temple premises after about 2.5 hours and joined the final queue. Everybody was chanting sharanam and praying to Lord Ayyappa for his blessings. Temple closing time was 11pm and our queue was stagnant till 10.50pm. At that very moment a miracle happened – an announcement was made that the temple closing time for that day would be extended to 11.40pm.

Queue started inching closer to the sanctum and in no timeI was sprinting on the holy 18 steps. The atmosphere was so divine that there was no awareness of pain or tiredness, like magic…!!!. Legs were moving fast now and eyes were seeking the glimpse of LordAyyappa. I couldn’t even chant sharanam or pray for anything at that very moment when I was right in front of the Lord… the glimpse was spectacular and I was spell bound to witness the Lord sitting alive …yes …the idol was full of life and the divine light inside the sanctum sanctorum was absolutely bright reflecting the supreme soul and nothingness around it. I absorbed the energy and captured this vision to retain it for long and prayed silently to keep me on the path of Dharma and Righteousness.

An exhaustive2 day trek through the forest was more than worthy for that single moment when I was in union with the supreme soul.

We completed the final rituals of Irumudi and started our journey down to Pampa feeling blessed.

Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa

( maximum number of pilgrims visits Shabarimala during the months of November to February and April to September)