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About Ayyappa Temple
Located on the Western Ghats of the Pathanamthitta district in the south Indian state of Kerala, the Sabari Mala Sree Ayappa Temple is one of the most popular and ancient Sastha temples in India.
Surrounded by the picturesque beauty of mountains and dense forests, the temple is known for its rarity of being open to people of all faiths, regardless of where they hail from and which religion they follow.
Such is the popularity of the place that a crowd consisting of approximately four million pilgrims, gather to offer their prayers and pay their tributes at the temple every year. This shrine of Sabarimala also has the idol of Ayappa installed and it is believed that Ayappa would perform his meditation sessions here.
In fact, according to legend, Parasurama Maharshi, the one who had retrieved the entire town of Kerala from the endless sea by throwing his axe is said to be the one who had installed the idol of Ayappa here at Sabarimala so that the lord could be worshipped here.
The main pilgrimage at Sabarimala begins in the month of November and lasts till the month of January. Pilgrims participating in the pilgrimage include people not just from the southern states of India but also other states as well as abroad.