After visiting Sabarimala, the holy pilgrimage site, devotees return with the aravana payasam, prepared at the temple. However, this sweet prasadam originated 48 km away from Kochi in a house in the village of Muhamma in the Alappuzha district of Kerala.
According to legend, Lord Ayyappa was learning martial arts from Guru Panickar at the Cheerappanchira Kalari in Muhamma, where he was living as Manikandan, the adopted son of the King of Pandalamm.
Panickar’s daughter fell in love with Manikandan, but he being a brahamachari refused her hand. So, the girl tried to win over Manikandan by serving him food. One of the items, she prepared was a special payasam made of rice, jaggery and ghee. This became the favourite dish of Manikandan. After Manikandan abandoned his earthly form, a temple was set up in Sabarimala by the king.
Today the site where this payasam was created and which served as the training ground of the Cheerappanchira family, still survives. During the Sabarimala season, hundreds of devotees come to visit this house. However, the Swamipura was in a dilapidated state till last year. The wooden walls had started decaying due to termite attacks. The roof consisted of decaying coconut leaves. To retain its traditional beauty, new coconut leaves have now been used, instead of tiles. A chemical treatment was done to get rid of the termites. To protect the ancient structure from rains, an aluminium roof has also been put up. Apart from that, a new compound wall has been put up. A new hall has also been constructed for the Sabarimala pilgrims to rest. A toilet block has also been added.
Padmaja Balasubrahamaniyan, a member of the Cheerappanchira family, which owns the Swamipura, says, “We have plans to develop the Swamipura as a centre of knowledge and a resting place for pilgrims going to Sabarimala,” she says.
Recently, archaeologists of the Aranmula Vasthuvidhya Gurukulam, which functions under the cultural department of the government of Kerala, have started to calculate the age of the structure. A sword believed to have been used by Lord Ayyappa, is also on display in the Swamipura.
Padmaja says they have preserved written documents which belong to their forefathers. “The documents say the Swamipura was protected by Kaliyamma, our great grandmother,” she says. “After the death of Kaliyamma, her daughter Kunjippillayamma and her daughter, my mother, Vanajakshiamma, continued to protect it,” she adds.
Right next to the house is a Lord Ayyappa temple. So visitors first come to the temple and then visit the house. More than 5,000 devotees, from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and from countries like Malaysia and Singapore visited the Swamipura this season. They included eminent personalities like the Pandalam King Sreemoolam Thirunal Raghava Varama and Infosys chairman SD Shibulal.
The former chief priest of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, Azhikuthumanayil Sasi Nampoothiri, says, “When devotees visit the Swamipura, they get a feeling that they are in the presence of Manikandan.”
“Now there is ample space for devotees to rest and pray,” says Nampoothiri. “I expect that soon the Swamipura will become a major pilgrimage destination.”
Born of Harihara