Irumudikettu and the accompanying austerities for the Pilgrimage to Sabarimala
One who wants to have a dharshan of the Lord has to carry an Irumudikettu and go through a vratham for 40 days. Only the pilgrims who have completed these austerities can get his irumudikettu and climb the 18 steps to His Sannidhanam.
How to do fasting and perform Vratham for 40 days for the sabarimala Pilgrimage
Before leaving for Sabarimala to see Lord Ayyappa these devotees have to go through rigorous rituals and fasting for 40 days. The austerities he has to cover are very severe.
First before starting to undertake the Vratham he has to get permission from his parents , and then from the Guru under whose guidance he has to visit Sabarimala
After this the date is fixed for the starting the vratham.
On the eve of the starting of fasting
On the eve of the day of Vratham he has to clean himself physically and then offer prayers to his family deity by making a knot of 1.25 rupees in a yellow cloth, within that knot. He has to present it to the family deity and take permission to start the vratham.
On the eve he is supposed to cut his hair, shave and clip and clean his nails which he will not be allowed to for the 40 days he is vratham. The holy mla has to be cleaned and smeared with sandal paste and placed before the idol of Lord Ayyappa. He has to buy and start wearing dhothis of colours Black, blue and saffron along with towels or shawls.
What he has to do on the first day
On the first day of the vratham, the devotee shall rise early have bath and offer prayers to the family deity, navagrahas and then perform pooja to the holy mala. After praying at home he has to go to the temple with his Guru and receive the mala from him among the chanting of Saram Ayyappa. He becomes an Ayyappa himself and is asked to face the demands of the pious life.
The devotees will withdraw from all the festivals and feasts, social activities and spend the time by taking part in praying singing bajans, visiting temples, cleaning temples, feeding the poor. helping the poor and the sick and attending religious discourses of the stories about Gods etc.
He shall have to bath at least twice daily and perform Pooja by chanting 108 ayyappa saranam and chant his name under breath wherever he is, either at work or at home. He is not supposed to oil to his hair or body and take oil bath.
He is not supposed to think of hurting anyone even verbally and treat all the other devotees as Lord ayyappa himself. He is not supposed to feel proud of himself of the respect and the privileges he gets when he is wearing the holy mala. He is not supposed to cause inconvenience to other family members. If he is starting the vratham every year, each year should be a new experiance and should never feel proud that he is doing this again. He shall strictly follow Brahmacharya and should have only motherly and sisterly feelings to all the women, including his wife.
He is not supposed to go near a dead body and should not eat anything without taking a bath if he sees one accidentally. He has to carry Tulsi leaf with him wherever he goes to prevent him from feeling evil and from Theetu.
He is supposed to sleep only on the floor and use a wooden block or a plank for the pillow.He should walk barefoot. He shall totally surrender himself to Lord Ayyappa.
It is said that the grace and power of Sabarimala increases when you observe the rules correctly and regularly as you are expected to and it is reflected back to the person who observes it. About the Irumudikettu
Irumudikettu is nothing but the travelling kit of the Ayyappas who have finished the stipulated vrathamfor 40 days . Without this Irumudi one is not allowed to enter the sannidhanam and climb the 18 steps. The Irumudi has two compartments one is munmudi and the other Pinmudi with an opening at the center. The munmudi will have the Pooja articles offered to the deity and the pinmudi will have his personal belongings needed for the journey.Munmudi and the pinmudi of the Irumudikettu
Munmudi or the front portion consists of 2-3 mudra bags one for the ghee filled cleaned coconut and the others for the other offerings. Items for Pooja at the temple are kept in the munmudi. They are namely
Ghee filled in coconuts for abhishekam of the Lord
4 coconuts
Betel leaves and nuts with coins for offering
pieces of Jaggery , cashew, raisins, dry ginger / chukku, Aval or the beaten flakes thin and thick variety, cardamoms, dates, honey and sugar
turmeric pieces, turmeric powder, blouse piece, kumkum, vibhoothi / basmam, sambrani, camphor, agarbathi, rosewater, rice, dal and lemon as offerings to God.
The 4 coconuts kept in the irumudi are to break one each at Erumeli, Sharamkuthi and the two for padinettam padi one while going up the steps and one while coming down the steps.
In the pinmudi items for the use of the pilgrim from the day he commences his journey after Kettu nira till his return home like some snacks to eat when he feels hungry, pulses and rice needed for cooking.
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