Sabarimala

Overview

Sabarimala is a hill temple in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, set in forest that belongs to the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The shrine is dedicated to Sree Dharma Sastha, venerated as Ayyappa, and it is visited as a pilgrimage rather than as a sightseeing stop. The main season runs from mid-November to mid-January, and the temple opens on a fixed calendar, so dates matter more here than at most places in Kerala.

The year is organised around opening periods. The Mandalam season begins on the first day of the Malayalam month Vrischikam, around mid-November, and lasts 41 days. The Makaravilakku festival follows it in January. Outside that stretch the shrine opens for the first five days of every Malayalam month, and again for Vishu in April. Many pilgrims keep a 41-day period of austerity beforehand, and the final approach is the ascent of the eighteen sacred steps, a ritual that makes up the heart of the visit. The hill's name is linked to Shabari, the ascetic woman of the Ramayana.

Getting there involves a road stage and a walking stage. Vehicles can go only as far as Pamba, at the foot of the hill, and the temple complex, called Sannidhanam, is about 5 km further up a forest path. Three routes feed the climb: the Erumeli route of about 61 km, the Vandiperiyar route of about 95 km, and the Chalakkayam route, described as the easiest and approached from Pathanamthitta. The hill lies about 72 km from Pathanamthitta town. The nearest railhead is Chengannur at about 85 km, and the nearest airports are Kochi at about 154 km and Thiruvananthapuram at about 170 km, with taxis and buses to Pamba from both.

The Travancore Devaswom Board administers the temple, and its official website offers online virtual-queue booking, among other services. Rules about booking, daily numbers and facilities are changed by the authorities from season to season, so check the Board's pages before fixing dates, and expect large crowds in the Mandalam and Makaravilakku weeks, when millions of devotees come over the season.

Because the temple sits inside a tiger reserve, the walk passes through forest, and the Pamba river nearby is held sacred by pilgrims. Travellers who want fewer people should look at the monthly opening days instead of the peak season, and should pack rain protection for the climb.

Known for

Hill shrine to Ayyappa within the Periyar Tiger Reserve