Sabarimala Temple
temple complex in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India
The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple (Malayalam: ശബരിമല ശ്രീ ധർമ്മ ശാസ്താ ക്ഷേത്രം) (Malayalam pronunciation: [ʃabəɾimala]) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Sree Dharma Sastha where the deity is worshipped as Lord Ayyappan, the son of the deities Shiva and Mohini (female avatar of the god Vishnu), and is situated atop the Sabarimala hill in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, India. The temple is surrounded by 18 hills in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. It is one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world, with an estimate of over 10 to 15 million devotees visiting every year.
The temple is open for worship only during the days of Mandala Pooja (approximately 15 November to 26 December), Makaravilakku or Makara Sankranti (14 January), Maha Thirumal Sankranti (14 April), and the first five days of each Malayalam month. The Sabarimala Temple serves as a prime example of the amalgamation of several religious traditions within the Indian context.
Origins and legends
Legend of Manikandan
Sage Suta told his followers the story of how Ayyappa was born, according to Bhutnathopakhyanam, a text for Ayyappan followers. After Goddess Durga killed the demon Mahishasura, his sister Mahishi arrived to take revenge on the devas (gods). After Mahishi performed a severe tapasya, Brahma was pleased with her and gave Mahishi a boon that made her invincible, with the condition that only a human born of Vishnu and Shiva could kill her. Knowing that Vishnu and Shiva would never bring forth a child, Mahishi became arrogant and seized the earth and heavens, brutally killing all who worshipped a god. The gods were afraid and helpless, so they sought assistance from Vishnu.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Sabarimala Temple” as temple complex in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as temple complex in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1520207. VIAF identifies the subject as 138392098. The Library of Congress control number is n82017517. Authority coordinates are 9.438, 77.081. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Sabarimala Temple” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.