SABARIMALA  (English, Paperback, K RAVINDRAN)

Sabarimala has been lately in the news for recent verdict of Supreme Court allowing entry of women between 10 to 50 year age group to the Ayyappa shrine. The entry of this group was barred due to ancient traditions and customs based on the belief that the idol of Ayyappa, an incarnation of Sastha, is in the form of a perennial celibate. As per popular legends, the 12 year-old Ayyappa, after fulfilling his mission on earth, retreated to the Sabarimala forest, entered into eternal meditation and merged with an idol of Sastha, consecrated there earlier. The spontaneous public agitation against the verdict has created a serious law and order problem in the Kerala state, awaiting the review of the verdict, due to filing of many review/writ petitions by various organizations. The pilgrimage by devotees to Sabarimala involves strict observation of penance and abstinence for 41 days before starting the trek. The various legends and stories of Sastha/Ayyappa and the rigorous pilgrimage rituals are not well known to people other than the pilgrims, who are mostly from South Indian states. The book, result of own pilgrimage experience of the author and his painstaking research work, throws considerable light on these aspects.