Swami Saranam Ayyappa?

With a good percentage of Kerala population in our neighborhood, you often see the Ayyappa-devotees – black lungi, bhasma smeared foreheads, bearded, no shoes and grown hair. The devotees follow some sort of lent in which they worship Ayyappa and follow some rules like daily sermons (bhajan), diet control and celibacy. The lent culminates in a pilgrimage to Sabarimala.

My father had read about this and also about the bountiful nature and freshness of the Sabarimala mountains. Over the years, we befriended the Kerala-Marathi family that lived across the street from ours. In his great Hindi, my father had told the appa once – tumhara ayyappa ko ek baar humko aneka hain (I want to visit Ayyappa once). Appa (as we still fondly call him!) had replied in his equally great Hindi – aao naa, tum ayega to achha hoga (yes, please do come along, it will do you good).

When I came to know about this, I almost had a panic attack. What’s dad been smoking – I remember asking my mother over the phone. But dad did not pay any attention. To see the natural beauty of Sabarimala, he was ready to fast, wear black lungi, smear bhasma and go to bhajans. My mother tells me, it was quite a site. An atheist to the core who has difficulty clapping properly to the tune of aratis was taking part in all this!

Ultimately, my father did complete the trip (I hesitate to use the word pilgrimage here) and enjoyed it too. It intrigued all our Marathi neighbors – who is this Ayyappa? As it turns out, Ayyappa is a progeny of pyromaniac Shankar and transvestite Vishnu. He also turned out to be misogynist. I mean, it is difficult for a child to understand why one has two fathers but for a child it is even more difficult to understand why one of the fathers wears a gaudy make-up and behaves like a mother, when he is not and the other goes setting fires.

And now, you blame Jaymala, a young or rather menstruating woman, for defiling the temple? If Hindu philosphy can accept the existence of Ayyappa, what bad can a lesser mortal like Jaymala do? Really - someone answer that question please.