To
the south-west of the main temple is the shrine of Lord Ganapati,
known as Kannimula Ganapati. The special offering to this deity
is Ganapati homan; and there used to be a large homakunda in front
of the shrine, which burned constantly, fed by the coconut shells
thrown by the devotees, after offering the ghee. As the coconut
shells are consumed by the fire, the sins of the devotees are
believed to be cleansed. Due to the growing crowds in the temple,
the homakunda has now been shifted to a location below the temple.
About
a 100 metres away is the shrine of Malikappurathamma. En route
to the shrine is the temple tank, Bhasma Kulam, in which hundreds
of devotees take a holy bath in memory of the tapaswini Sabari
who entered a fire to end her mortal life. It is after her that
the peak is named Sabarimala. On account of the number of people
who bathe in the tank, the water is frequently drained out and
refilled with fresh water.
Situated
on a small hillock, the Malikappurathamma temple houses the shrines
of the Devi and Kaduthaswamy. Devotees also worship a trident
and lamp here, and offer coconuts. The coconuts are not broken,
however, but are just rolled on the ground around the temple.
To the left of this temple are the shrines of the snake god and
goddess, Nagaraja and Nagayakshi. Here, tribals beat on drums,
play stringed instruments and sing sarppa pattu to protect devotees
and their progeny from the harmful effects of snakebites.
At
the foot of the Patinettampadi are the two shrines of Kaduthaswamy
and Karuppaswamy, who stand like dwarapalakas or guardians of
the holy steps, to ensure that they are not polluted by those
who tread on them without fulfilling the rigid austerities required
of them. They are also believed to protect the devotees from the
evil spirits of the forests. According to legend, Kadutha was
a great warrior who helped the Pandalam king defeat the armies
of Udayanan and other enemies. When the king came to Sabarimalai
to reconstruct the temple, Kadutha came with him to protect him.
Ultimately, he became so attached to Ayyappa that he decided to
spend the rest of his days with his Lord.
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