SABARIMALA  PILGRIM  CENTRE

     Sabarimala is 72 km from Pathanamthitta town, 191 km from Thiruvananthapuram, 210 km from Kochi (Cochin). Among the most famous pilgrim centres of India, Sabarimala is situated on the Western Ghats. Altitude is 914 mts. From Pamba, 4 km away, the route has to be trekked. The temple is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, the god of trekkers. He was, according to the legend, the son of a Pandalam king who dared to trek to the forests to fetch leopard milk to cure his mother of her stomach pain. Nov-Jan is the pilgrim season. One may carry light woollens. A religious-minded visitor observes 41 days' rituals before going on the pilgrimmage to Sabarimala. Girls and women between 10 and 50 years of age are not allowed entry. Tiruvalla (102 km) is the nearest rail station.(DETAILS)