H-M synthesis in Kerala: Hindu God Lord Ayappa's Muslim friend Vavar

by Guest Sun Jun 25, 2017 12:37 am

Sabarimala is a leading pilgrim centre of Kerala in South India, which attracts thousands of devotees every year.

While it is basically a Hindu temple, the legend of the temple is also associated with a Muslim leader by the name of Vavar who was a trusted friend of Lord Ayappa, the presiding deity of the temple at Sabarimala.

Pilgrims visit the mosque devoted to Vavar at Erumely on the way to Sabarimala. Erumely also has a Sastha temple, which is near the Vavar mosque.

Erumely Petta Thullal is a form of frenzied dancing by the devotees on their way to Sabarimala.

http://www.indiavideo.org/kerala/festival/erumeli-petta-thullal-51.php

H-M synthesis in Kerala: Hindu God Lord Ayappa's Muslim friend Vavar Main-qimg-83d4dcb2848d84109967095119d2b636-c

H-M synthesis in Kerala: Hindu God Lord Ayappa's Muslim friend Vavar Main-qimg-83d4dcb2848d84109967095119d2b636-c

by Guest Sun Jun 25, 2017 2:45 am

Erumeli is situated about 60 kilometres away from the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple and is a must-visit destination in the context of the Sabarimala pilgrimage. The reason behind the stopover is rather unusual as ET Magazine found out. As the crowd of chanting devotees trudge up a climb on the main road of the town, the domes of a large structure appear in the background. As normally as they would enter a temple, the crowd of barefooted devotees enter the Vavar mosque. They circulate around the mosque and chant the names of Ayyappa as well as Vavar, a Muslim saint who is also referred to as Vavarswami by the Hindu devotees.

A visit to the Vavar mosque is an integral part of the Sabarimala pilgrimage. Ravi Menon has been working the Middle East for most of his life. The 52-year-old entrepreneur has now returned to Kerala for good. The bespectacled soft-spoken man lets on that he has been visiting the Sabarimala temple since he was a child. "We make it a point to visit the Vavar mosque as well. All this is part of the tradition. It is required. It sends out the message to all people that 'we are one'," he says.

The Ayyappa devotees visit the mosque throughout the 160-odd days of the year when the Sabarimala temple is open to devotees. Even when the Muslims offer their prayers inside the mosque, the Hindu devotees perambulate the mosque. "We know that the tradition of Ayyappa devotees visiting this mosque goes back to over 500 years," says PA Irshad, president of the Mahalla Muslim Jama-ath, which takes care of the administration of the mosque.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/before-arriving-at-sabarimala-temple-in-kerala-devotees-visit-a-mosque/articleshow/50334905.cms

H-M synthesis in Kerala: Hindu God Lord Ayappa's Muslim friend Vavar

H-M synthesis in Kerala: Hindu God Lord Ayappa's Muslim friend Vavar

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