King Rajasekara
The
descendants of Pandya dynasty were living scattered in places like
Valliyur, Tenkasi, Shengottah, Achankovil and Sivagiri and in parts of
Travancore, where they were the ruling dynasty. The descendants of
Pandya dynasty belonging to Chempazhanattu Kovil, living in Sivagiri
were given the right to rule the country of Pandalam, by the King of
Travancore eight hundreds years ago. King Rajasekara was the direct
descendant of this dynasty.
King
Rajasekara was a very talented, courageous and just ruler in all his
dealings. People were living happily and prosperously during his regime.
However, the king was very unhappy that he had no children and his
subjects were also worried that he had no heir to inherit his kingdom.
As per the wish of the queen, both of them prayed to Lord Shiva for
blessing them with a child.
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| Ayyappan |
Lord Shiva, answered Rajasekara's prayer and ordered Dharmasastha to take the avathar of Ayyappan . Ayyappan took the form of a baby with a golden chain and bell around his neck and placed himself near the Pamba river.
(Dharmasastha
born to Lord Shiva and Lord Mahavishnu who was in the disguis of Mohini
to get back the Amrutham from the asuras and restore to the devas.)
King
Rajasekara who was returning after hunting in the forest adjoining the
banks of River Pampa, along with his men, heard a child crying from
somewhere in the forest. Surprised, he went round and reached the banks
of River Pampa. There he saw a beautiful and divine child (i.e. Ayyappa)
kicking its legs and crying out, and was in a dilemma whether to take
the child to the Palace or leave it there itself.
While the King was engrossed in his thoughts, a Sanyasi (Yogi)
appeared before him and told the King that he need not be afraid of the
child and take him to the Palace and that the child belonged to
Kshatriya dynasty capable of mitigating all sufferings. The Sanyasi
further stated that since the Child had a gold bell around his neck, his
name be called "MANIKANDAN" and when the child completed twelve years, the King would know his divine history. After uttering these words, the Sanyasi disappeared.
The
King of Pandalam was very joyous; he took the child to his Palace and
briefed the Queen about the incident. The King and the Queen, having
prayed to Lord Shiva, for a child, were very happy that they had been
blessed with a child. The people also felt happy that a heir to inherit
the Kingdom after the King, had been found.
However, the Diwan of the Kingdom who was thinking that he would be the next crown after Rajasekara was worried.
The Study period of Ayyappan
He
was taught all martial arts and sastras and the Guru was surprised at
his brilliance and agility and the extraordinary talents. The Guru came
to the conclusion that he was not an ordinary child, but a divine power.
After completing his education under the Guru, Manikandan approached
the Guru to offer his Guru Dakshina.
When
Manikandan went to his Guru for his blessings, the Guru told him that
he already knew that he was a divine power and he was blessed for having
been given an opportunity to have Manikandan as a student. The Guru
further told Manikandan that he had one request to make and that was
that his only son who was dumb should be given the ability to speak.
Manikandan called the Guru's son and put his hands on his head and
immediately thereafter the Guru's son began to speak. Manikandan
requested the Guru not to reveal this to anyone and went to the Palace.
Birth of RajaRajan
In the meanwhile, the Queen gave birth to a male child and the child was named RajaRajan.
The Diwan's plot
King Rajasekara, impressed with the talents of Manikandan, decided to
crown him, treating him as his eldest son. He ordered the Diwan to make
arrangements for the same.
The
Diwan started devising plans to prevent Manikandan from being crowned
to the throne and to annihilate him. He tried various methods including
poisoning of food, but failed in all these. However, Manikandan's body
bore an injury due to these and ordinary physicians could not cure it.
Lastly, Lord Shiva disguising himself as a physician, treated
Manikandan's injury and cured him.
Having
failed in all his attempts to kill Manikandan, the Diwan approached the
Queen and told her that as she had her own son, it was not correct to
crown a person who came from the forest. He further told the Queen that
since Arthasastra itself has justified any misdeed if it was done to
extract a good thing, he would suggest that the Queen should pretend as
if suffering from severe headache and stomach pain and he would make the
physician tell that only a tigress' milk should be brought to cure the
Queen and since Manikandan would only go to the forest to bring the
milk, he would be in danger from the wild animals and even if Manikandan
returned without bringing the tigress' milk, the King's love for him
would not be as before. The Queen, became a prey to the Diwan's plot and
agreed to do what he told, so that her son could succeed the King to
the throne.
The Queen's sickness
The
Queen, as told by the Diwan, cried out loudly that she was suffering
from severe headache and stomach pain and the King, believing this,
called the Diwan to bring in the best physicians to treat her. The
Physician, brought by the Diwan examined the Queen and told the King
that the Queen had been suffering from a dangerous disease and it could
be cured only by applying Tigress' milk .The King sent several of his
men to the forest for bringing this milk. The King understood that it
was an impossible task and wanted his dear Queen to be cured at any cost
and offered half of his Kingdom to anybody who brought the Milk.
Manikandan
asked the King to let him go to the forest promising to bring the milk.
However, the King told him that he was awaiting to be crowned to the
throne that he was also not of age and hence refused to let him go.
Manikandan told the King, in spite of his refusal, he had to go lest he
would be cursed for not curing the Queen. Since the King persisted in
his refusal Manikandan wanted the King to promise to do something he
wanted. The King gave the promise and asked him what he wanted and
immediately Manikandan asked the King to permit him to go to the Forest.
The King felt disappointed that he had been tricked and with no other
alternative permitted Manikandan to go to the forest.
King
Rajasekara made arrangements to send a group of his loyal men along
with Manikandan, which however was refused by Manikandan on the ground
that the tigress might run away seeing the crowd of soldiers.
King
Rajasekara sent along with Manikandan necessary foodstuffs and coconuts
with three-eyes, in remembrance of Lord Shiva. The Panchabuthas, sent
by Lord Shiva, accompanied Manikandan to Forest.
Visiting Devaloka and destroying Mahishi
However,
on his way Manikandan, came to know the atrocities of Mahishi in the
Devaloka, he went there and fought a battle with Mahishi. During the
conflict, Manikandan threw Mahishi down to earth from devaloka and she
fell on the banks of Azhutha River. Manikandan clashed with her
at Azhutha river again. At the end, of the battle between Mahishi and
Manikandan at Azhutha River banks, Manikandan climbed up on her chest
and danced violently. The impact of his dance was felt on the Earth and
Devloka and the Devas were afraid. Mahishi knowing that the divine power
dancing on her body was none other than the son of Hari and Haran,
prostrated before Manikandan and died.
(Mahishi-
blessed by Lord Brahma that nobody , except the son created out of the
union of Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Haran), would be able to kill her. She
wanted to take revenge upon the devas who killed her brother)
Malikapurathu Amma
This
dance was witnessed by Lord Shiva and Mahavishnu from a place called
Kalakatti. (It is said that Leela, daughter of Kavalan, a Maharishi, due
to her husband's curse,was born as daughter of Karamban, with a face of
Mahishi and freed herself from the curse and obtained Moksha by the
grace of Shri Dharmasastha, which is described in Sabarimala Temple as
Malikapurathu Amma, by which name she has a temple there)
After
killing Mahishi, Manikandan went to the forest for the tigress milk,
when Lord Shiva appeared before him and told him that though he had done
good for the Devas, still there was one main task and that was to give
comfort to the King Rajasekara who was very concerned about him. Lord
Shiva further told him that he could go to the Palace with Lord
Devendran in the form of a tiger. With Manikandan on the tiger, all
female devas in the disguise of a tigress and male Devas, as tigers
started their journey to the Palace.
When
Manikandan, with the tigers, approached the Palace, the people who
ridiculed him when he started his journey to forest if he wanted a toy
tigresses etc , really got panic seeing the violent bunch of animals and
started running helter shelter.
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| AYYAPAN WITH TIGRESS MILK |
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Revealing of Manikandan's identity
Just
then, the same Sanyasi who appeared before King Rajasekara when he
picked up Manikandan at the forest as a baby, appeared again at the
palace and told King Rajasekara the real identity of Manikandan.
Hearing this, the King stood in
great surprise and silence. He saw Manikandan riding a tiger and people
running away. Seeing the King, Manikandan descended from the Tiger and
told him that since the tigresses were there, he could get the Queen
cured with their milk. King Rajasekara, fell at his feet and asked to
forgive him for whatever happened without his knowledge, and asked him
to send back the tigers as the Queens ailment had been cured the moment
Manikandan went to the forest. On that day Manikandan reached the age of twelve.
The temple
King
Rajasekara told Manikandan that the Diwan was responsible for all these
things and hence he should be punished. However, Manikandan told the
king that he need not punish the Diwan and all had happened only through
the will of God, and he told further that time had come for him to go
to Devaloka since the task for which he took avatar himself on the Earth is completed and asked the King what boon he wanted from him and he was ready to give it as he was much pleased by his devotion.
Immediately,
King Rajasekara told him that they wanted to raise a temple in his
memory and suggest a suitable place for the temple. Manikandan aimed an arrow which fell at a place called Sabari,
where in Sri Rama's era a Sanyasini called Sabari observed Dhavam. Lord
Manikandan told the King to build the temple in that place and then he
disappeared.
Foundation stone for the building the Sabarimala Shrine and the purpose
As per Saint Agasthya's advise, King Rajasekara laid the foundation stone for the building the Sabarimala .
Bhagwan
Manikandan, had made it clear that he would grace only those devotees
who offer Dharshan after performing Vritha for fortyone days keeping
themselves isolated from family desires and tastes and leading a life
like Brahmacharya, thinking of good things always, and that while coming
for his darshan, they shall carry the holy irumudi on their heads, as
the Bhagwan did when he went to the forest to fetch tigress milk, and
bathed in River Pampa raising slogans of Saranam and climb the eighteen
stairs.
The completion of the temple
As
graced by the Bhagwan King Rajasekara completed building of the temple
with eighteen steps to reach it. When the King was thinking how to put
Dharmasastha's figure in the temple for darshan to devotees, he recalled
the words of the Bhagwan, the River Pampa was a holy river as River
Ganga, Sabarimala was a holy place as Kasi. Dharmasastha sent
Parasuraman to Sabarimala who carved the figure of Lord Ayyappa and
installed it on the day of Makarasankranthi, the day on which the Makara
Jothi appears.
Every
year lakhs and lakhs of people throng to Sabarimala irrespective of
caste or creed and adorn themselves with garlands and irumudis, chants
slogans on Lord Ayyappa, bathe in holy river Pampa, climb up the
eighteen steps and get the grace of Lord Ayyappa, the Dharmasastha.
Adorning the jewelleries on Ayyappan on the Makarasankranthi day
The
Jewel Casket is carried on head from the ancestral residence of the
royal family of Panthalam to the Shrine on that day. A Garuda, the
Brahaman kite, follows this ornaments carrying procession, hovering
about in the sky. After these ornaments are worn on the Lord the bird
circles the temple in the sky three times and disappears. Excited by
this sight the devotees begin to chant "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa". A Star
never seen before in the sky appears on the day of Makara Jothi day
before the sighting of the Jyoti. A Jyoti is seen for a little time on
the hilltop showing the presence of Swamy Ayyappan gracing his devotees. |
