The Temple of Sabarimala as it looked in 1942
Allau-din- Killji, reign from 1296-1316 was in a way instrumental in the historicity of Sabarimala. His lover, the eunuch military General, Malik Kaffur was sent to South India for the furtherance of military conquest and plunder of temples that was widely the practised history of Prussian forage into India.
Fearing the imminent invasion, the Pandya kings of Madurai first thrashed away the temple wealth and booty to various Bhramanic households , and then when the fall of the kingdom was certain they fled to Venad. Meanwhile Malik Kaffur reached as south as Rameswaram and built a mosque there.
The ruler of Venad in his magnanimity and adhiti devo bhava tradition gave that branch of the Pandya dynasty that came for safe haven, around 1000 sq miles of land in Pandalam. Thence the Pandalam dynasty was born. The lore and myth of the Sabarimla temple cocooned in the Western Ghats amidst thick dense, pristine, perennial green forest began there. Myth was crafted artistically into history like with all mythical stories of various faiths.
I scoured through the Net to find the actual time the pilgrim journey into the Sabarimala began,but information was absent. The fascinating characteristic of the pilgrimage or journey to Sabarimala is the absence of touch- me – notism amongst the pilgrims.The strict continence and penance subscribed for and before the pilgrimage to the hills, is now frivolous and trivial. Though the God who supposedly abodes in Sabarimala had a Muslim, and a Christian as companions, the inter faith and inter caste bonhomie is shed in the hills and is seldom carried down in their hearts by the millions of pilgrims who venture to the hills. But marketing of the temple presumably brought the Aryans from north down to the hills in the Western Ghats to worship the Dravidian God.
The recent tragedy where more than one hundred lives perished in chaos and stampede is only a reminder of the wayward ways we follow to desecrate nature in and around Sabarimala. Certainly the God is angry and is in wrathful mood. The very look at the photo given here would tell how we raped the temple, god and the mountains. The officialdom is steadfastly perpetuating the utter nonsense and canard of “ makara Jyoti”. And people vie for being gullible. When god is not in the heart, mind and soul, even a thousand jyotis can never lit up the heart, mind and soul of man.
In the goodness of things, rather than market and sell the myth of Ayappan, and marketing the journey to the hills as the panacea for the sufferings of karma and life, the government can think of devising a quota system by which only a limited number of pilgrims are allowed into Sabarimala. Certainly the hills cannot take this large numbers. The tragedy of the stampede tells that.There can be an on line booking system. The reduction in the thronging of people to the hills will help nature, nurture her mauled and raped body back. The Gods, in the hills can have some peace! The river Pampa will be able to replenish and sustain her devoid of Coliform bacteria. And such tragedy as the one recent may not re visit. Perhaps Lord Ayyappan would also consider going back to Sabarimala from his present state of incommunicado.
A child posed this question after seeing the TV reportage of the tragedy in Sabarimala, “why did not the lord ensure that his devotees did not come to harm”?
17 comments:
Wasn't the question from the child very relevant? I think it was.
If we ‘googled’ for truth and beliefs behind every religious traditions and spiritual practices, we will be like that child asking, why God made it that way and not other way around.
Whenever such questioning of religious practices surface I m reminded of the story Swami DayanadaSaraswathi of Arsha vidya gurukulam narrated to his disciples… you may have heard it…
It s about a priest who tied a cat at his pooja place to scare rats…
Jokes aprt, perhaps we all need a faith-gripped hand around us to feel secure in this world where most of the things still remain a mystery to us, or else we may not hold on to religions & faith related practices this long ha?
And at the tragic spot of Pulmedu Lord may have done his bit to avoid such a scene, but not the officials!!
Very painful to know the news of stampede. Why that child? Even I thought the same.
Anil, Thank u for quoting the history of Temple and the foto
What a tragedy? And every time something or the other of this magnitude struck us we indulge in accusations, counter accusations blame games and what not... till the whole frenzy subsides. I visited Sabarimala twice and almost all the major temples in South India, business let me say, it's pure business.
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4810298&page=0
It was painful to hear the sad news and I was appalled by the government's response.
Certainly, its nothing more than a gimmick to earn more money. In the name of God and faith, very sad
@ BK Chowla,
Sir , there is a child in us all who is the father of Man , and ask such question. I guess you agree.
@ deeps,
Friend I do not know if we can Google to find the abode of the Lord.
But one thing is a bare fact, opium certainly gives you much faith , than the faith you speak about. Is it a crutch you refer to, a walker ?
Well if you feel cocooned and safe in the faith you grip good still. But then ...!!
@ Sukanya,
Did you notice that huge tree in the foreground right corner? That is where they now have the massive "agni kund", into who's belly coconuts filled with ghee is thrown into like nine pins and in thousands.
Imagine the time this photograph was taken. God if there ever is one would have been dancing in the serene silence of the jungle and the temple that it engulfed. Nature
at its splendour, was waiting to be devoured ....
Man refuses to throw away the blinkers at his own peril. And such tragedies will happen again .
@ Arun methale chirkkal,
Yes it is business and just pure commerce. When we know that the bloody glow one see yonder in the hills on that day each year is a fireball lit under the aegis of the Electricity board , why do people still chant like zombies and call it divine revelation? To call it faith is nonsense, it is rubbish.
@ Insignia,
Trust and have faith . People who were stamped out will come back. Please trust the Government.
and now people are demanding that the temple be opened round the year! you made a good point. To restrict the number of visitors. but who would kill the goose laying golden eggs?
@ kalpanique
Yes who will kill the goose that lays the golden egg?
This is not love for god, fear of god, it is pure commerce.
And the vast vast majority of the populace are so gullible or want to be so that commerce in the name of providence is thriving and will thrive for many many more years.And they call it faith- my foot!
If we fret over that we are wasting our lives. So get back and listen to some good music.
Please see the latest post in my blog on this subject.
www.mytravelsmylife.blogspot.com
Thanks for the History of Sabrimala.
Incidentally, I have heard that one of the daughters of Malik Kafur is still worshipped in Sri Rangam Temple (Citadel of Vaishnavites) as "Tulkacchi Nacchiyar"
That was a well studied write up.
All religious establishments are commercialized.They have no survival without it.That is why hundreds of churches across Europe are being sold or converted to hotels or brothels.
No questions asked on religion.Faith is infallible.
The tragedy was really painful.Like all had noticed,the child asked a genuine question.Why the pilgrims? Hundreds also meet with accidents on their way to Velankanni and similar places.May be,He is not interested in visitors,anywhere.
At least,being a source of income to the tune of millions,at least a part of it could be used to develop and conserve the place.
@ Ghorkah,
That is a revelation. Does the VHP and Bajrandal know about that?
@ doc Antony,
Do you remember the photo that came out after the Tsunami , which showed a lone mosque standing secure amid the destruction. And with the caption "Gods Miracle"?
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