The Yatra to Sabhari Malai

I returned today from my Annual Pilgrimage to Sabhari Malai, legs aching and feeling tired, yet fully suffused with a sense of inner joy from the divine experienceand exposure to the sylvan surroundings of the Sabhari hills.

One of the positive changes I noticed was that the circling route from Marakkootam to Sannidham is now fully concrete covered. This means we can walk faster on bare feet without worrying about the roots, stones and slippery mud during the rainy season.

As regards the Sabhari Yatra, I hear two opinions about the need for enduring hardships and extreme physical discomfort. One school feels that this is not necessary and that the Devaswom board can provide more amenities and facilities like Thirumala Thirupathi or Vaishno Devi. The other school of thought that consists of senior swamis and the extremely ritual-bound holds that the arduous terrain should be retained. They give examples of how it was in those days. There is no doubt that the climb up Neeli Malai itself was pretty tough in those days. In fact there was a point where the only way to climb up Appachi Medu was by crambling up the thick roots of a tree in the middle of the path. Remember that all this is done with irumudi or offerings to the lord balanced on your head. I have done this in 1984 and 1985.

The route today is a paved path with steep inclines and rough stones but there are steps almost throughout. My personal view is that the route should be maintained as far as possible as it was since time immemorial.

Another thing that I observe more frequently is the wearing of footwear during the climb. While do not criticize or comment on this, I would like to submit that almost all hills with shrines on top are in themselves divine and as such wearing footwear while climbing may be a desecration. This, of course, is a viewpoint and highly debatable.