Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.672

c9.672

One of those days the Pāṇḍyan king living at Pantalam had a dream, and in that dream Ayyappasvāmī appeared and told him that he (Ayyappan) was living at Śabarimala and the King might meet the Svāmī if he went there. The next day morning the King with his retinue started for Śabarimala. At Śabarimala the King got the forest cleared and made a search of the ground where he found an idol installed by Paraśurāma. The King built a temple there and installed the idol of Ayyappasvāmī therein. He also got necessary purificatory ceremonies conducted in the temple by the famous tantrī (high-priest) Tāzhaman. A routine programme for the conduct of affairs in the temple was fixed. As it was difficult for men to live in the forest infested by wild beasts and conduct pūjā etc. daily, it was fixed that pūjā need be conducted only for five days in every month and that Makarasamkrānti should be the annual festival day. From the first of Makaram (January) for five days it was to be utsava with the deity led in procession. On the fifth of Makaram every year a ‘Kalabham’ and on the seventh day a ‘gurutī’ also were ordained.