Ayyappa Purana List

King Rajasekara, a descendant of the Pandya dynasty, ruled Pandalam. Although his reign was prosperous, the king and queen were troubled by their inability to have children, leading them to pray to Lord Shiva for a child.

Mahishasuran, having received a boon from Brahma that no one on earth could kill him, became a tyrant. The Devas appealed to Goddess Chandikadevi, who killed him. His sister Mahishi sought revenge and received her own boon that only a child of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu could kill her.

Lord Vishnu, in the form of Mohini, united with Lord Shiva to give birth to Manikandan. King Rajasekara found the child while hunting near the River Pampa and was told by a sage to raise him as his own. The king named him "Manikandan" after the golden chain around his neck.

King Rajasekara found the child while hunting near the River Pampa and was told by a sage to raise him as his own. The king named him "Manikandan" after the golden chain around his neck.

As Manikandan grew, he mastered martial arts and scriptures. He blessed his guru’s mute son with speech, revealing his divine powers. The king wanted Manikandan to be his successor despite the birth of his own son, RajaRajan.

The Diwan, jealous of Manikandan, convinced the queen to feign illness, claiming only tigress milk could cure her. The plan was to send Manikandan into the dangerous forest, hoping he would be killed. Despite the king’s reluctance, Manikandan insisted on going to fulfill his duty.

During his quest, Manikandan encountered the demoness Mahishi. He defeated her in a battle on the banks of the Azhutha River, dancing on her chest to liberate her from a curse. The Devas rejoiced at her defeat, and Manikandan continued his journey to fetch tigress milk.

After defeating Mahishi, Lord Shiva appeared before Manikandan and arranged for his return to the palace on a tigress, accompanied by a herd of tigers and tigresses. Manikandan gave the queen tigress milk, curing her illness. The people were astonished by the sight of him riding a tigress.

After curing the queen, Manikandan revealed his divine origins and told King Rajasekara that his mission was complete. He shot an arrow to indicate the site for a temple in his memory. The king built the Sabarimala Temple following sage Agasthya’s advice, with 18 sacred steps symbolizing different virtues.

Manikandan decreed that only devotees observing a 41-day penance could seek his darshan. Devotees bathe in the River Pampa before ascending the 18 steps of the Sabarimala Temple. Millions of devotees visit Sabarimala each year, seeking Lord Ayyappa’s blessings.