Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple

ശബരിമല ശ്രീ ധർമ്മശാസ്താ ക്ഷേത്രം

Ayyappa · Dharma Sastha, Manikandan

Naishtika Brahmachari — in an eternal celibate state

Sannidhanam, Sabarimala, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala

Kerala Tourism describes it as one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world, estimating 10 to 15 million pilgrims a year.

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Season
Main season: Nov – JanThe temple opens only during the Mandala–Makaravilakku season, the first five days of each Malayalam month, Vishu, Onam and other occasions (Kerala Tourism).Dates and caveats
Hours on open days
  • 3:00 am – 11:00 pm · Sanctum open (on opening days)
Darshan times are not published separately.
What to wear
No general visitor dress code was found on an official page. Kerala Tourism records that pilgrims observing the Mandala vratham wear black as a sign of detachment, wear a mala received from a priest or Guruswami, and do not cut hair, shave or trim nails during the 41 days.
For women
Kerala Tourism's article states the temple is open to women "not in their fertility age". The Supreme Court's 28 September 2018 judgment (4:1) held the bar on women aged 10 to 50 unconstitutional; review of that judgment is pending, with a nine-judge bench having reserved its order on questions referred to it on 14 May 2026. Check the current legal position before travelling.
Walking and access
Vehicles stop at Pamba; the shrine is reached by an uphill trek of about 5 km through Neelimala, then the eighteen steps (Kerala Tourism). No official information on dolis or assisted access was found.
Getting there
Train: ChengannurAir: Cochin International Airport

Not yet confirmed: phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

2 accounts are recorded. Each is told separately, in the words of its own tradition — they are never merged.

Family note: this story includes violence or death.
Told in: Sabarimala tradition as published by Kerala Tourism (Government of Kerala)

Manikandan, Mahishi and the tigress's milk

Mahishi, sister of the buffalo-demon Mahishasura, wants revenge on the gods after Durga kills her brother. She performs severe penance and wins a boon from Brahma: only a child born of Vishnu and Shiva can kill her. Protected by it, she spreads destruction, and the Devas go to Vishnu for help.

The answer is built into the boon. Vishnu takes the form of Mohini, the enchantress, and bears a child fathered by Shiva. The child is to be raised in the care of Rajasekhara, king of Pandalam and a devotee of Shiva.

The infant is left in the forest, where Rajasekhara finds him on a hunting trip. The king is childless. He carries the boy back to the Pandalam palace and names him Manikandan, for the mani, the bell, tied around his neck. Later the king and queen have a son of their own, but the king, who believes Manikandan has brought the family its good fortune, chooses him as heir.

A minister who wants the throne for himself works on the queen, telling her that only a child of her own blood can be the lawful heir. The queen feigns illness. Her physician, under the minister's influence, prescribes the milk of a tigress as the only cure — a task meant to send Manikandan into the forest to be killed. The king's soldiers are sent first and fail.

Manikandan, still a child, volunteers. He persuades the king to let him go and sets out with Shiva's bhootas watching over him. He does not go for the milk first: he goes to Devaloka, confronts Mahishi, and throws her down to earth. After a long fight he stands on her chest and dances, and the earth and Devaloka shake. Mahishi recognises him as the son of Shiva and Vishnu, and dies.

Shiva then appears, tells Manikandan his task is done, and promises Indra's help with the milk. Indra comes in the form of a tiger, with female Devas as tigresses, and Manikandan rides the tiger back to Pandalam with the tigresses behind him. As the king watches, a saint reveals who the boy is.

Ayyappa tells the king his work on earth is finished and he will return to Devaloka, but first grants him a wish. The king asks him to choose the site for a temple. Ayyappa shoots an arrow; it lands on the hill of Sabari, and he declares that his shrine will stand there. Under Rajasekhara's patronage the Sree Dharma Sastha temple is built at Sabarimala.

The story accounts for the temple's site, its tie to the Pandalam royal house — whose temple at Valiya Koyikkal still sends the sacred ornaments, the Thiruvabharanam, to the shrine for Makaravilakku — and the deity's names Manikandan and Dharma Sastha.

Where this account comes from

  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "Mythology" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "Rituals" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "Pilgrimage Season" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
Told in: Sabarimala pilgrimage tradition as published by Kerala Tourism (Government of Kerala)

Vavar and the dance at Erumeli

On the traditional route pilgrims stop at Erumeli, where they pray at the Dharma Sastha temple and at a mosque dedicated to Vavar, a Muslim warrior remembered as Ayyappa's close friend. On the 27th of Dhanu two groups, from Ambalappuzha and Alangad, perform the petta thullal, dancing in ash and sandal powder with arrows and leaves; only the Ambalappuzha group enters the Vavar mosque. Kerala Tourism records two meanings for the ritual: Ayyappa's victory over Mahishi, and religious harmony through Vavar.

Read this account

The pilgrimage to Sabarimala does not begin at Sabarimala. For pilgrims taking the traditional forest route, one of the first great stops is Erumeli, about 56 km south-east of Kottayam, where they pray both at the Dharma Sastha temple and at a mosque dedicated to Vavar Swamy.

Vavar, in the account Kerala Tourism records, is a Muslim warrior and a close friend of Ayyappa. His place in the pilgrimage is marked by a ritual, the petta thullal, which runs through the Malayalam month of Dhanu (December–January).

On the morning of the 27th of Dhanu a group from Ambalappuzha performs the petta thullal. In the afternoon a group from Alangad follows. The performers smear sandal powder and ash on their bodies, wear orange berry leaves and a crown of leaves, carry arrows, and balance a bundle of vegetables on a stick across their shoulders as they dance. Kerala Tourism's article describes pilgrims dancing with wooden branches.

The two groups do not do the same thing. The Ambalappuzha group enters the Vavar mosque before going on towards the Sannidhanam; the Alangad group does not.

Kerala Tourism attaches two meanings to the ritual. One reads it as a re-enactment of Ayyappa's victory over the demoness Mahishi. The other reads it through Vavar, as a mark of religious harmony between Ayyappa's devotees and Vavar's mosque.

The episode explains why a mosque at Erumeli is a pilgrimage station on the way to a Hindu hill shrine, and why the Ambalappuzha and Alangad groups keep different orders of worship on the same day. Kerala Tourism's article states that the temple itself has no caste or creed restrictions on who may come.

We have not yet found a written source for the fuller story of how Vavar and Ayyappa met, so it is not told here.

Where this account comes from

  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "Rituals" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), article "Sabarimala pilgrim centre" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. Kerala Tourism describes it as one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world, estimating 10 to 15 million pilgrims a year.

    Source for: Kerala Tourism describes it as one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the
    • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "About Sabarimala" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09

  2. Pilgrims observe a 41-day vratham before the journey and must carry the irumudi kettu to climb the eighteen sacred steps, the Pathinettampadi.

    2 sources for: Pilgrims observe a 41-day vratham before the journey and must carry the irumudi
    • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "Rituals" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "About Sabarimala" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09

  3. The temple opens for set seasons — the Mandala–Makaravilakku season, the opening five days of each Malayalam month, Vishu and Onam — rather than year round.

    2 sources for: The temple opens for set seasons — the Mandala–Makaravilakku season, the opening
    • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "Pilgrimage Season" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), article "Sabarimala pilgrim centre" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09

  4. In September 2018 the Supreme Court held 4:1 that the bar on women aged 10 to 50 was unconstitutional; review of that judgment, referred to a nine-judge bench in 2019, was heard in 2026 and the bench reserved its order on 14 May 2026.

    3 sources for: In September 2018 the Supreme Court held 4:1 that the bar on women aged 10 to 50
    • Press: LiveLaw, "Sabarimala: Devotion Cannot Be Subjected To Gender Discrimination, SC Allows Women Entry By 4:1 Majority; Lone Woman In The Bench Dissents", 28 September 2018 livelaw.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: The Federal, "Nine judges to rule on where religious freedom ends and women's rights begin", 14 May 2026 thefederal.com · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: Kerala Kaumudi, "Sabarimala women's entry verdict likely by first week of October", 12 August 2026 keralakaumudi.com · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Kerala

Kerala Tourism describes the sanctum's gold-plated roof with four golden finials, flanked by two mandapams and a balikalpura, but does not name an architectural style.

  • Detail

    Pathinettampadi — the eighteen steps

    The eighteen sacred steps to the shrine, covered in panchaloha according to Kerala Tourism's Sabarimala site (its article describes them as covered in gold).

    Pathinettampadi: 18 steps
    • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "About Sabarimala" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Temples of Kerala, "Sabarimala" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), article "Sabarimala pilgrim centre" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09

  • Tower over the sanctum

    Gold-plated sanctum roof

    The gold-plated roof of the sanctum with four golden finials; the conical roof and the sopanam (steps to the sanctum) are covered with gold.

  • Flagstaff

    Flagstaff

    The dhwajam (flagstaff), installed in 1969.

    1969

  • Offering stone

    Balikalpura

    The room of the main sacrificial stone, housing the altar, beside the two mandapams that flank the sanctum.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

Sanctum open (on opening days)Closes after Harivarasanam. Per Kerala Tourism; the temple opens only on set days.3:00 am – 11:00 pm

Confirm on the day. Times change on festival days and without notice. These times are not from the temple’s own notice.

Before you go

  • Dress: Kerala Tourism records that pilgrims observing the Mandala vratham wear black as a sign of detachment, wear a mala received from a priest or Guruswami, and do not cut hair, shave or trim nails during the 41 days. No general visitor dress code was found on an official page.
  • Entry: Visitors of all faiths may enter (not yet verified)
  • Travancore Devaswom Board: "Online booking of Virtual-q is mandatory for all pilgrims visiting Sabarimala."
  • No devotee without an irumudi kettu is permitted to climb the eighteen holy steps (Kerala Tourism, Rituals).
  • Kerala Tourism's article states the temple has no caste or creed restrictions.
  • Kerala Tourism's article states the temple is open to women "not in their fertility age". The Supreme Court's 28 September 2018 judgment (4:1) held the bar on women aged 10 to 50 unconstitutional; review of that judgment is pending, with a nine-judge bench having reserved its order on questions referred to it on 14 May 2026. Check the current legal position before travelling.
  • The temple opens only during the Mandala–Makaravilakku season, the first five days of each Malayalam month, Vishu, Onam and other occasions (Kerala Tourism).

Walking, steps and access

Wheelchair: not wheelchair accessible

Vehicles stop at Pamba; the shrine is reached by an uphill trek of about 5 km through Neelimala, then the eighteen steps (Kerala Tourism). No official information on dolis or assisted access was found.

Crowds: The 41 days of the Mandala season, from the first of Vrischikam to the eleventh of Dhanu (roughly mid-November to late December), are the peak pilgrimage period, and the season closes with Makaravilakku in mid-January.

Getting there

  • By air: Cochin International Airport · about 154 kmKerala Tourism also gives Thiruvananthapuram International Airport at 170 km (another Kerala Tourism page gives about 180 km).
  • By train: Chengannur · about 85 kmKSRTC buses and taxis from the station, per Kerala Tourism. Another Kerala Tourism page names Thiruvalla, about 102 km.
  • By road: PambaVehicles go only as far as Pamba, at the foot of the hill, about 5 km from the shrine.
  • On foot: Pamba to SannidhanamUphill trek via Neelimala, Appachimedu, Sabaripeetam and Saramkuthi. The traditional forest route from Erumeli is about 61 km in all.

Routes are general guidance and not yet checked against an official source.

PIN 689713 (not yet checked with India Post)

Main pilgrimage months

The highlighted months are the season the temple’s sources point to. Exact opening and closing days change every year — check the dates before you book.

  • Jan — recommended
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov — recommended
  • Dec — recommended

Sevas

  • NeyyabhishekamListed in the morning pooja schedule; ghee carried in the irumudi.
  • Virtual-Q darshan bookingMandatory per the Travancore Devaswom Board.Book

Prices as published by the temple when we checked. They change; the temple’s booking site is final.

The order of darshan

  1. 1

    Pamba river and the Ganapati temple at Pamba

    Bathe in the Pamba river and pray at the Ganapati temple before the climb.

    Why here: Pamba is the foot of the hill and the end of the road; the climb begins here.

  2. 2

    Saramkuthi

    First-time pilgrims (kanni ayyappan) leave wooden arrows here.

    Why here: The last station on the Neelimala ascent, about fifteen minutes' walk below the eighteen steps.

  3. 3

    Pathinettampadi · പതിനെട്ടാംപടി

    Climb the eighteen sacred steps carrying the irumudi kettu on the head.

    Why here: The steps are the only approach to the sanctum for pilgrims who carry the irumudi; none may climb without it.

  4. 4

    Sreekovil of Ayyappa (Sannidhanam)

    Darshan of Ayyappa; the ghee carried in the irumudi coconut is offered for neyyabhishekam.

    Why here: The goal of the pilgrimage; the irumudi offering is completed at the sanctum.

Festivals

  • Mandala PoojaMandala kaalam

    Nov–Dec · Vrischikam 1 to Dhanu 11 (Malayalam) · 41 days

    The 41-day Mandala season, which Kerala Tourism calls the most important pilgrimage season at Sabarimala. The golden attire, Thanka Anki, is placed on the idol for the Mandala pooja and then returned to Aranmula.

  • Makaravilakku

    Mid-January · Makaram 1 (Makara Sankranti)

    The close of the main season. The Thiruvabharanam procession leaves Valiya Koyikkal temple at Pandalam three days earlier, travelling about 83 km to the shrine; the ornaments are placed on the idol before the evening deeparadhana, and the Makarajyothi lamp is lit at Ponnambalamedu.

  • Erumeli Petta Thullal

    January · Dhanu 27 (Malayalam)

    The ritual dance at Erumeli by the Ambalappuzha and Alangad groups, connected with Vavar and with Ayyappa's victory over Mahishi.

Customs you will see here

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

  1. Ayyappa's arrow chooses the site; Rajasekhara builds the temple

    The founding episode of the Kerala Tourism mythology. Kerala Tourism's account does not say in which yuga it happened.

    Source for: Ayyappa's arrow chooses the site; Rajasekhara builds the temple
    • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "Mythology" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09

In the historical record

  1. c. 1100–1199

    Earliest references, in Pandalam inscriptions

    Kerala Tourism states the temple does not appear in ancient records and that its earliest references are inscriptions of the Pandalam dynasty, dated to the 12th century. It became a major pilgrimage centre in the 20th century.

    Source for: Earliest references, in Pandalam inscriptions
    • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "About Sabarimala" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09

  2. 1969

    Flagstaff installed

    The dhwajam was installed in 1969.

    Source for: Flagstaff installed
    • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Temples of Kerala, "Sabarimala" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09

  3. 2018

    Supreme Court judgment on women's entry

    On 28 September 2018 a five-judge Constitution bench, by 4:1 (Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices R. F. Nariman, A. M. Khanwilkar and D. Y. Chandrachud; Justice Indu Malhotra dissenting), struck down Rule 3(b) of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules, 1965, under which women aged 10 to 50 had been barred from the shrine.

    Source for: Supreme Court judgment on women's entry
    • Press: LiveLaw, "Sabarimala: Devotion Cannot Be Subjected To Gender Discrimination, SC Allows Women Entry By 4:1 Majority; Lone Woman In The Bench Dissents", 28 September 2018 livelaw.in · seen 2026-10-09

  4. 2019

    Review referred to a larger bench

    On 14 November 2019 a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, hearing review petitions, referred broader questions on discrimination against women at places of worship to a larger bench by 3:2, together with questions on Muslim women's entry into mosques and dargahs and Parsi women's entry to an agiary's fire place.

    Source for: Review referred to a larger bench
    • Press: The Federal, "Nine judges to rule on where religious freedom ends and women's rights begin", 14 May 2026 thefederal.com · seen 2026-10-09

  5. 2026

    Nine-judge bench hears the reference and reserves its order

    A nine-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant began hearing on 7 April 2026; the Union government's written submissions urged that the restriction be upheld. After 16 days of hearing the bench reserved its order on 14 May 2026. Its answers go back to the five-judge bench, which is to decide the review petitions. As of 12 August 2026, the date of the latest report we have, no verdict had been delivered.

    3 sources for: Nine-judge bench hears the reference and reserves its order
    • Press: News On AIR (Prasar Bharati), "Supreme Court Constitution bench begins hearing on women entry at Sabarimala", 7 April 2026 newsonair.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: The Federal, "Nine judges to rule on where religious freedom ends and women's rights begin", 14 May 2026 thefederal.com · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: Kerala Kaumudi, "Sabarimala women's entry verdict likely by first week of October", 12 August 2026 keralakaumudi.com · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Temple

    Erumeli Dharma Sastha temple and Vavar mosque

    The first great station of the traditional forest route and the site of the petta thullal.

  • Ghat

    Pamba

    The river and base camp at the foot of the hill where the climb begins.

  • Temple

    Valiya Koyikkal temple, Pandalam

    Starting point of the Thiruvabharanam procession to Sabarimala.

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "About Sabarimala" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "Rituals" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "Pilgrimage Season" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), article "Sabarimala pilgrim centre" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: LiveLaw, "Sabarimala: Devotion Cannot Be Subjected To Gender Discrimination, SC Allows Women Entry By 4:1 Majority; Lone Woman In The Bench Dissents", 28 September 2018 livelaw.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: The Federal, "Nine judges to rule on where religious freedom ends and women's rights begin", 14 May 2026 thefederal.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Kerala Kaumudi, "Sabarimala women's entry verdict likely by first week of October", 12 August 2026 keralakaumudi.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "Mythology" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "How to Reach" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Sabarimala microsite, "Pooja Schedule" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Kerala Tourism (Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala), Temples of Kerala, "Sabarimala" keralatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: News On AIR (Prasar Bharati), "Supreme Court Constitution bench begins hearing on women entry at Sabarimala", 7 April 2026 newsonair.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
Corrections made to this page (1)
  • 2026-10-09: changed “traditional” to “canonical”. A dated modern event reported by a dated documentary source; "traditional" presented it as folklore. No source disputes it.

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/sabarimala (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence