Sabarimala
| Sabarimala temple | ||
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 The temple of Sabarimala |
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| place | Pathanamthitta District in Kerala ( India ) | |
| Coordinates | 9 ° 26 '4 " N , 77 ° 4' 53.2" E | |
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Sabarimala ( Malayalam : ശബരിമല Śabarimala [ ˈɕabəɾimala ]) is a Hindu shrine in the Indian state of Kerala . The temple of Sabarimala, dedicated to the god Ayyappan , is one of the greatest pilgrimage destinations in India despite its remote location in the mountains of the Western Ghats and attracts millions of pilgrims every year.
The Hindu pilgrimage site of Sabarimala is located in a wooded area of hills in the Western Ghats in the Pathanamthitta district , 64 kilometers east of the district capital Pathanamthitta . The temple is only open around 120 days a year. The main pilgrimage season is between mid-November and the second half of January. Sabarimala is an extremely important pilgrimage destination for followers of the Ayyappan cult from the southern Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu , Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh . Women of childbearing age were excluded from the pilgrimage. Although there are a few girls who have not yet reached puberty and women beyond menopause participate, the pilgrims are almost exclusively men. During the pilgrimage season 2009/2010 a total of more than 40 million pilgrims visited Sabarimala, and the temple generated revenues of over 1.4 billion rupees (around 23 million euros).
Around 100 pilgrims died in a crowd in January 2011.
Due to a decision by the Supreme Court on September 28, 2018, the temple must be accessible to women of all ages. Massive, sometimes violent protests by conservative Hindus, who continue to try to prevent women from entering, are directed against this ruling. On the other hand, several million women in Kerala demonstrated with a human chain for access to the temple.
See also
- Ayyappan tiyatta , ritual drama for Ayyappan in temples and private homes
literature
- Radhika Sekar: The Śabarimalai pilgrimage and Ayyappan cultus. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1992.
- Filippo Osella and Caroline Osella: "Ayyappan Saranam. Masculinity and the Sabarimala pilgrimage in Kerala." In: Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 9 (2003). Pp. 237-244. (PDF; 155 kB)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ What is Makara Jyoti, Kerala HC asks. Hindustan Times, January 20, 2011
- ↑ Pilgrims killed in stampede at Indian festival. BBC, Jan 15, 2011
- ↑ Women to enter Sabarimala temple today: Weird laws against women from all over the world. India Today, September 28, 2018
- ↑ Millions of women demonstrate for access to Hindu temples