KOCHI: With the Sabarimala season set to commence in a few weeks, the KSRTC Budget Tourism Cell (BTC) has rolled out a unique Ayyappa Charitha pilgrimage package. The package includes a pilgrimage circuit connecting four temples having a mythological connection to the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple, a senior BTC official told TNIE.
“Devotees can visit the temples at places that are associated with various life stages of the Lord, as cited in the legends,” the official said.
The circuit includes the temples Kulathupuzha Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, Aryankavu Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, Achankovil Sree Dharma Sastha Temple (all in Kollam district), and Pandalam Valiya Koyikkal Sree Dharma Sastha Temple (Pathanamthitta district).
The Kulathupuzha temple is dedicated to Bala Sastha (Ayyappa as a boy). According to the legend, the Pandalam king found the infant who later became Lord Ayyappa in the forest area at Kulathupuzha.
Similarly, the Aryankavu temple is connected with the Lord’s teenage, and the famous Achankovil temple is associated with ‘Grihastha Ashrama’ (the lord is depicted as a family man). The last destination is the Valiya Koyikkal Sree
Dharma Sastha temple, the family temple of the Pandalam royal family. It is believed that the Lord spent his childhood there.
‘Sabarimala chartered trips to stay’
“While the package was introduced as part of the upcoming Sabarimala season, the chartered trips linking the pilgrimage circuits will continue to be extended even after the two-month-long Sabarimala season. We’ve received a lot of enquiries on pilgrimage trips connected with the Sabarimala season, which enabled us to roll out the special package. It was launched a couple of days back and the chartered buses are already in high demand,” the official said. The chartered trips are being organised from various units across the state.
Key BTC contacts: Thiruvananthapuram (9447479789), Kollam (9747969768), Pathanamthitta (9744348037), Alappuzha (9846475874), Kottayam (9447223212), Idukki, Ernakulam (9446525773), Thrissur (9074503720), Palakkad (9495630127), Malappuram (8590166459), Kozhikode (9544477954), Wayanad (8921185429), Kannur and Kasaragod (8089463675).
BTC begins pooling buses
The Budget Tourism Cell has started pooling buses to operate chartered trips to Pamba during the annual Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season beginning on November 16.
“This year, the pilgrims can opt for packages to visit Ayyappa circuit shrines while returning from Pamba after offering prayers at the hill shrine. A high-level meeting will be held on Monday to finalise the BTC operations during the Sabarimala season,” the official said.