Aryankavu Ayyappa Temple is located in Aryankavu, Kerala at a distance of 50 Kms from Kottarakkara, 24 Kms from Tenkasi, Tamilnadu and 90 Kms from Thiruvananthapuram Airport.
It is one of the 108 Dharma Sastha / Iyeppa temples established by Sri Parashurama in Kerala.It is also one of the five important Sastha temples in Kerala, the others being Kulathupuzha, Achankovil, Sabarimala and Kanthamala. The temple is more than 1000 years old.
Surrounded by forests, the temple is located on the Trivandrum โ Tenkasi National Highway. The name "Aryankavu" is believed to be derived from the words "Aryan" which indicates Shasta and "Kavu" which means sacred grove. The present temple is believed to be constructed by Mayal, wife of Chokkampetty Zamindar Chinnanganchan Pandiyan of the Marava race.
The main deity of the temple is Shasta, in the form of a teenager. The deity is known as Aryankavu Ayyan and Tiruaryan. He is depicted in a seated posture on an elephant, with the right leg hanging and the left leg in a folded position, along with his consort Pushkala on the left side and Shiva on the right. The original idol of the deity was made with a special type of stone known as Anjanapashanam. It was later replaced with an idol made of panchaloha.
The temple is built in the traditional styles of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Shrine is located approximately 35 ft below road level with Sri Ayyappa in the middle, flanked by Sri Parvathi and Lord Shiva. Preserves several murals of deities. As in Sabarimala, the temple also have 18 steps.
The temple has separate shrines for Valiyakadutha, Karuppaswami and Karuppayiamma below the 18 holy steps
The Temple is managed by Malabar Devaswom Board.
As per the legends, Long ago, a Sourashtra silk merchant journeyed to Travancore with his young daughter to sell fine silk garments. They halted overnight at Aryankavu, where the daughter felt a deep spiritual connection with Lord Ayyappan and chose to stay behind to serve and pray at the temple. Her father, touched by her devotion, entrusted her to the temple priest and continued on his way.
On his return journey, the merchant was suddenly attacked by a one-horned elephant. Terrified, he cried out for Lord Ayyappanโs help. Miraculously, a hunter appeared, calmed the elephant with a shout, and vanished. The grateful merchant offered the hunter a silk cloth. When the hunter asked, โHow do I look?โ, the merchant replied, โLike a beautiful bridegroom.โ The hunter then asked if he could marry the merchant's daughter. The merchant agreed, not knowing it was Lord Ayyappan in disguise.
That night, the temple priest had a divine vision where Lord Ayyappan revealed that he had accepted the merchantโs daughter Pushkaladevi as his consort. The next morning, a new idol of Pushkaladevi was found beside Ayyappanโs in the sanctum, draped in the same silk cloth gifted by the merchant.
On the same night, the King of Travancore also had a vision. Lord Ayyappan instructed him to treat the Sourashtra merchant as his sambandhi (in-law) and to preside over their divine wedding.
From then on, this divine wedding is celebrated every year at Aryankavu, with the Kerala government representing the royal family and the Sourashtra community as Lord Ayyappanโs in-laws. A grand 11-day festival is held annually, preserving this sacred bond across centuries. A portrait of King Balarama Varma, the last ruler of Travancore, is still displayed during the festival.
Daily poojas and rituals follow Tamil traditions. Similar to Sabarimala, women aged 10 to 50 are not allowed inside. Devotee seek matrimonial boons and relief from Sani Dosham (Saturn afflictions).
The temple is known for hosting a ritualistic marriage ceremony known as "Thiru Kalyanam" or "Thrikalyanam" (divine wedding) annually in December during the Sabarimala pilgrimage. On the occasion of Thiru Kalyanam, many unmarried girls visit the temple. Pandiyan Mudippu (engagement) and Kumbhabhishekham are other important festivals.
Temple timings : 4 am-12...
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