Aryankavu Sree Sastha Temple is famous as one of the Five Sastha temples in Kerala. The other four Pancha Sastha temples are Sasthamcotta Sree Dharmasastha Temple, AchanKoil, Kulathupuzha Sastha Temple and Sabarimala Temple.
This Ayyappa Temple is located at Aryankavu in Kollam District dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. Lord Ayyappa is depicted here as a teenager (young boy). Ayyappa is known as Tiru Aryan and therefore the place got the name Aryankavu. The idol here is installed by Lord Parasurama.
This Aryankavu Sree Ayyappa Swamy Temple is surrounded by forests, the temple is located on the Trivandrum – Tenkasi National Highway. Just like in Sabarimala, women between the ages of 10 and 50 are not allowed to enter Aryankavu Ayyappa Swamy Temple. The rituals and pujas followed at Aryankavu Sastha temple are those of the Tamil tradition. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple has idols of Devi, Shiva and Sastha. A young Ayyappa is seated on an elephant with Devi on the left side and Shiva on the right side.
The festival in the temple is celebrated during the last days of the Sabarimala Mandala Kalam. The main festivals seen here include Pandiyan Mudippu, Trikkalyanam, and Kumbhabhishekam. The temple is accessible by taking the Kollam – Punalur – Tenkasi road or by taking the Trivandrum – Tenkasi road.
Sabarimala mandala kalam, Pandiyan Mudippu Trikkalyanam and Kumnhabhishekam are the festivals celebrated here.
Aryankavu Sree Ayyappa Swamy Temple Timings:
Morning:6:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Evening: 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Aryankavu Sree Ayyappa Swamy Temple History:
In prior days the Sourashtrians sold silk dresses to the Travancore ruler. One such specialist went to offer silk dresses to Travancore with his virgin little girl. On his way he achieved Aryankavu by night, so he needed to stay there.The next morning in the wake of freshening up he was prepared to begin when his little girl asked for him that she needed to remain back there and continue appealing to the Lord Ayyappan. She was awed by the Lord and committed to him. The general population of the place likewise recommended not to bring his little girl with him, as it was a thick woods adventure and they guaranteed to deal with the young lady. The agent inspired by his little girl’s bhakti towards Lord Ayyappan left her accountable for an archakar in that temple.
In the wake of finishing his business in Travancore he returned towards Aryankavu. As he was nearing Aryankavu, a major one horned elephant came undermining towards him. The representative was frightfully perplexed of this sudden appearance of the elephant and began supplicating boisterously ‘Ayyappa help and spare me’. Around then a well-assembled seeker showed up abruptly and yelled towards the elephant to go. On hearing that the elephant left like an enchantment The specialist was inspired and advised to the seeker,” you have spared my life and my family like a divine being”. In a token of gratefulness, the agent gave a rich silk fabric to the seeker. The seeker wearing the fabric around his neck asked the businessperson ‘How would I look?’. The specialist answered ‘You resemble an excellent bridegroom’.On hearing this seeker asked him, “will you wed your girl to me.?” For that, the businessperson said “why not? you have spared my life and on the off chance that you wish I will wed my little girl to you”.The seeker felt exceptionally cheerful and told that he will meet the specialist at the Aryankavu temple and he vanished. The agent was shocked that how could an outsider realize that I had a girl for marriage and with disarray, he achieved Aryankavu temple.
In the meantime the temple’s archakar had a fantasy in which Lord Ayyappan showed up and said “awaken my lover, a sourashtra specialist, is holding up at the passageway of the temple. As indicated by his desire I have joined his little girl Pushkaladevi with me. The young lady who was in your care is presently my better half and she is in a statue frame on the left half of me in the temple. I will show up alongside Pushkaladevi from today. Consistently I need the agent and his group to come here and commend this day as our marriage celebration. After that the Archakar woke up from his fantasy and went to the temple alongside individuals. There he saw the businessperson. As he opened the temple entryway he saw every one of the lights of the temple lit and a little statue of Pushkaladevi was seen close to the Lord, both in a wedded stance. The silk fabric given by the agent to the seeker was found around the neck of Ayyappan. On observing that the agent realized that it was the god who had spared his life in the timberland now his little girl was hitched to the god.
Around the same time, the ruler of Trivandram had a fantasy in which the master told every one of the happenings and needed him to treat the Sourashtra specialist and his group as his “Sambanthis” and approached him to be the relative for Lord amid his marriage. The lord hurried to Aryankavu and felt happy that his fantasy was valid. He treated the businessperson regally. He additionally needed the agent to accompany his kin consistently and praise this celebration. The Lord requested that there ought to be an ‘Eleven-day stupendous celebration’ consistently and the traditions of the Sourashtra must be taken after for the marriage. So from that point onwards and till date, each year the Government of Kerala’s agents comes here as Lord’s relatives and the Sourashtra individuals as the sambanthi to the master, to celebrate. Consistently, on this occasion and all around finished Portrait of the last lord of Travancore, Balarama Varma is kept. Prior to this photograph, the engagement function happens. What’s more, in the temple, there is a 11-day celebration, with every day in the various stances of the ruler.
Aryankavu Sree Ayyappa Swamy Temple Address:
8, Kollam – Thirumangalam Road,
Aryankavu,
Puliyarai R.F. Part,
Kerala – 691309