4/5 Unni D. 2 years ago on Google
Aryankavu
is
famous
for
its
Ayyappan
temple.
The
Ayyappa
Temple
at
Aryankavu
in
Kollam
District
is
one
among
the
five
most
important
temples
dedicated
to
Lord
Ayyappa
in
Kerala.
The
shrine
is
also
known
as
Aryankavu
Shastha
Temple.
Lord
Ayyappa
is
depicted
here
as
a
teenager
(young
boy).
Ayyappa
is
known
as
Tiru
Aryan
and
therefore
the
place
got
the
name
Aryankavu.
Surrounded
by
forests,
the
temple
is
located
on
the
Trivandrum
–
Tenkasi
National
Highway.
Just
like
in
Sabarimala,
women
from
the
age
10
to
50
are
not
allowed
inside
the
Aryankavu
Ayyappa
Temple.
The
rituals
and
pujas
followed
at
Aryankavu
Sastha
Temple
is
that
of
Tamil
tradition.
The
sanctum
sanctorum
of
the
temple
has
idols
of
Devi,
Shiva
and
Sastha.
A
young
Ayyappa
sits
in
the
middle
with
Devi
on
the
left
side
and
Shiva
on
the
right
side.
The
festival
at
the
temple
is
celebrated
during
the
concluding
days
of
the
Sabarimala
Mandala
Kalam.
The
most
important
festivals
observed
here
include
Pandiyan
Mudippu,
Trikkalyanam
and
Kumbhabhishekam.
The
temple
can
be
accessed
by
traveling
on
Kollam
–
Punalur
–
Tenkasi
road
or
by
traveling
on
the
Trivandrum
–
Tenkasi
road.
The pratishta here
is
quite
different
from
that
of
Achankovil,
Kulthupuzha
and Sabarimala temples. Sastha is
depicted
as
a
young
boy
sitting
on
an
elephant
with
right
leg
hanging
and
left
leg
being
in
a
folded
position,
along
with
his
consort Prabha on
the
left
side
and
Lord Shiva on
the
right. As
in
Sabarimala,
the
temple
too
have
18
steps.
The
temple
built
in
the
traditional
architectural
styles
of
both
Kerala
and Tamil
Nadu preserves
several
murals
of Hindu deities.
Another
feature
of
the
temple
is
that
it
is
built
35
feet
below
the
road
level.
The Poojas and
rituals
conducted
in
the
temple
is
very
much
similar
to
the
Shastha
Temples
.
The
name
'Aryankavu'
is
believed
to
be
originated
from
the
words
"Aryan"
which
generally
denotes
the
deity Sastha and
'Kavu'
being
the
place
where
he
is
worshipped.
The
deity
here
is
also
known
as Tiru
Aryan.