Helicopter Services to Sabarimala

Helicopiter Services can be had for the pilgrims from Nedumbassery airport in Kochi to Perinad located at about  50 kilometers from Sabarimala.  Regular copter services are being planned by the Chipsan Aviation Limited ( CAL ), a delhi based company for the Sabarimala Pilgrims.  The Complany CAL is planning to use AS350 BIII helicopters  and the necessary clearances have been obtained from the Director General of the Civil Aviation Mr Sunil Narayanan, Director of  CAL said . 

 A 6 seater helicopter will be used as Heli Taxi to fly pilgrims from Kochi airport at Nedumbassery to Perinad.  From Perinad a luxury cab will be arranged by the company to take the pilgrims  to Pampa. The company will also make arrangements for the Kettumurukku / Irumudikettu at the Pampa. 

Tariff  rates 

 The company CAL will charge Rs 12000 per person  for a single trip  and Rs 22000 per person for a round trip.  This will be during the mandalam and the makara vilakku season. 

For the other regular 5 day period every month, they have another package. This includes helicopter travel, accommodation, transport facility in a Palanquin type carriage  / Doli,  from pampa to the holy Temple. The cost of the package will be Rs 30000 per person. 

How to perform austerities / Vratham for 41 days before the Sabarimala Pilgrimage

Sabarimala trip is an arduous trek which should be taken seriously and  the preparations should be in earnest. The devotees who had already been there have prepared a list for all things to do and not to do while on the pilgrimage austerities.  Nowadays the vehicles go till the Pampa river but even from there the trek is difficult and steep through dangerous and dense forests which are full of wild animals.

Before leaving for Sabarimala to see Lord Ayyappa these devotees have to go through rigorous rituals and fasting for 41 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 themselves from attending 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 the Lord's 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 Tulsimala. 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.

Simple living, absolute cleanliness and holy thoughts are the mainstay of the vrutham. The mind and the body are impeccably maintained  pure and absolute celibacy is maintained.   Without a proper vrutham  for 41 days and irumudikettu,  you cannot attempt climbing the 18 steps. You have to do that to prepare yourself for the physical fitness and mental conditioning to be achieved before the arduous trek.  

How to prepare the Irumudikettu for Sabarimala Yatra?

Since the trip to Sabarimala and the trek to Sannidhanam was through dense forests, they had to survive without any assistance. So the Irumudikettu was readied with two compartments. They carried sustenance materials such as rice, 'Chammandi Podi', Pappad, Malar' 'Aval' etc.  and sometimes cooking containers as well . Since they need to stay in te nights they had to take a bedding and a blanket and  this proved a soft cushion for the irumudikettu so that they could carry it comfortably.

Just before Ayyappas prepare to leave home for Sabarimala, the irumudi is filled at the temple or in their own pooja room. The ceremony is conducted with the  assistance of a guru/peria swamy amidst the chanting of 'Saranam Ayyappa'. Irumudi is carried on the head with due reverence.

About the Irumudikettu
Irumudikettu is nothing but the travelling kit of the pilgrims / Ayyappas, as they are called  who have finished the stipulated vratham / fasting for 40 days. Without this Irumudi one cannot enter the Sabarimala sannidhanam and climb the 18 golden 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 which the pilgrim needs during the trip.

Munmudi and the Pinmudi of the Irumudikettu
Munmudi or the front portion consists of 2-3 mudra bags one for the cleaned and  ghee filled coconuts and the other mudra bags are for the Pooja items needed at the temple are kept in the munmudi. They are;
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 in the irumudi  are kept there,  to break one each at Erumeli, Sharamkuthi and the two for pathinettam 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. There are some items like some snacks to eat as and when he feels hungry, pulses and rice needed for cooking etc.

As the pilgrim leaves home with the Irumudikettu he breaks a coconut near the house where a member of the family lights a lamp daily at least for a few hours daily  till he returns. When he returns after the pilgrimage he breaks a coconut there again to signify the end of pilgrimage. Then he removes his irumudi and the mala which he had worn when he started fasting.  That signals the end of austerities for the Sabarimala Pilgrimage.

Precautions to be taken while travelling to Sabarimala

Dos and Don'ts to be taken care of before travelling to Sabarimala

Before you decide to travel to Sabarimala  you have to know that it is not just a tour and travel like other sight seeing trips.  You will have to go through hardships while doing that.  The hill is very dense and the altitude increases as you climb.  If you have some health problems it could give you some problem as the oxygen level decreases as you climb the hill.

Have a check up and consult doctor before starting for the pilgrimage

The pilgrims who are suffering from heart ailments, , diabetes , blood pressure and high cholesterol are asked to consult their docors first, get advice from them and then embark on the trip. You can undergo a medical check up including ECG.

They should also avoid going to Sabarimala during the peak seasons when there are too many on the premises. they are asked to carry a small notepad or a diary with all their maladies and their prescriptions mentioned by the doctors. Under no circumstances they should stop taking the medicines unless advised by their physician.

Steps to be taken for the Heart patients 

The persons who are suffering from heart ailments should climb the hill slowly and take the slopes one by one taking rest in between.  Always keep a check on your pulse. If it goes above 140 beats per minute or shows irregular patterns stop and ask for the services of a doctor.

Take rest when you need / feel like

Never climb as soon as you finish your full meals, take always light meals when you are climbing. while you are climbing if you feel breathless  stop immediately and seek help from the medical camps  and oxygen parlours, there will be volunteers to help you out.

If you fel sweating, giddiness and tiredness  etc you might be suffering from hypoglycemia  or less sugar in the blood syndrome. so do not stop ny medicines you are supposed to take during your climb. If needed take help.

For other pilgrims also there are some  steps to be followed

Breathlessness - At any time while you are climbing the hill you might feel breatlessness and the reasons can be many. Asthma, bronchitis and heavy smoking  can produce these attacks. The atmosphere enroute  is likely to be polluted with dust , smoke and low temperature and so please consult  your doctor or the doctors at the temple.  Ge yourself attended to and do not be careless.  It would be better for you ta start taking the medicines before you leave for the pilgrimage.

Pollution in the water bodies could be there and so try and drink only boiled and cooled water or hot water.

Persons with infectious diseases should not undertake the pilgrimage until the infection has been cured. You have to be sure bout the sanitation and cleanliness.

How to Reach Sabarimala in Kerala?

Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa Temple,  located  amidst the mighty Western Ghats, is one of the most ancient and well known Ayyappa temples in India.  Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha as he is also known is one of the few temples in India which is open to plgrims from all faiths and religions. You can visit the site if you want to but you will have to follow the rules and regulations the Temple follows. 

Sabarimala Temple is the remotest of all the temples in South India, surrounded by mountains and dense forests and it is believed that Sree Ayyappan meditated in that place. It is believed that Parasurama, supposed to be one of the Avatars of Lord Vishnu, installed the idol of Sree Dharma Sastha at Sabarimala. 

The Pilgrimage to Sabarimala begins in the middle of the month of November with a 41 days of fasting and severe austerities to attend the mandala pooja celebrations on the hills. It is said that lakhs and lkhs of devotees visit Sabarimala during this period from all over the world. 

How to Reach Sabarimala

If you are travelling by air, try to reach one of the three international airports of Kerala, namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. From there you can get connection trains to Kottayam / Chengannur and then travel by bus / car to the temple at Pampa. 

If you are travelling by rail, you can reach either Kottayam or Chengannur Broadgauge  railway stations and Punalur meter gauge railway station and from there you can take bus or hire a car to reach Pampa. 

If you are travelling by road, you can travel easily by bus Transport. KSRTC Kerala state road transport corporation has made facilities for the pilgrims moving from one place to another. Even tamilnadu state government has given permissions for operating 20 buses from different parts of tamilnadu to Pampa. There is a chain service  which exist between Nilackal the base camp to Pampa for helping the pilgrims.

For more details you can visit sabarimala  site.