Saw these men in the airport and of course had to go over and take pictures. They were barefoot and some bareback walking through the terminal and eventually on the plane.
They told me they belonged to the Ayyappan Temple and they go on a pilgrimage every year. On top of their heads are gifts to the temple of gold, frankincense and myrrh. OK I lied. It's rice and coconut. After that they pulled out their Blackberries and asked me to email them the pics. Lets be realistic, they were probably accountants and lawyers. Otherwise balancing stuff on their heads would have been easy peasy.
Sabarimala is a Hindu pilgrimage center located in southwest India. It is the largest annual pilgrimage in world with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year. Sabarimala is believed to be the place where the Hindu God Ayyappan meditated after killing the powerful demoness, Mahishi. Ayyappan's temple is situated on a hilltop surrounded by mountains and dense forests.
Women between the ages of 10 and 50 are not allowed to enter the temple, since the story attributed to Ayyappa prohibits the entry of the women in the menstrual age group. The devotees are expected to follow a vratham (41-day penance) prior to the pilgrimage. This begins with wearing of a special Mala (a garland made of Rudraksha or Tulasi beads). In general from then they are to refrain from non-vegetarian food of any kind (except dairy) alcohol, and tobacco, engaging in sex, using foul language, hair-cuts and shaving.
Did I mention that it gets kinda crowded? On Friday 14 January 2011, a human stampede occurred just outside the pilgrimage, after a vehicle fell down on the small pathway. Around 100 people were reported dead, with roughly 100 more injured.
But I guess you knew all this stuff already I suppose!
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