An original retelling of the Sabarimala tradition · 504 words
The story in 100 words
A Sabarimala pilgrimage begins with preparation, not only with walking. Devotees observe a vrata, pray, and prepare the irumudi bundle used in the traditional ascent. The journey leads through Kerala’s landscape towards the Pampa and the hill shrine. The eighteen sacred steps are honoured with deep reverence. Different traditions explain their symbolism in different ways. They do not establish a universal list of eighteen Ayyappa avatars. This chapter is an introduction, not a travel or ritual manual. Children can practise its gentle lessons at home: wait patiently, care for others, keep places clean, and ask questions with respect and curiosity.
Swipe left for the next page · swipe right to go back
Original illustration · artistic interpretation
01 / 04
Before the first step
A pilgrimage is more than arriving at a place. In the Sabarimala tradition, it begins with preparation. Devotees undertake a vrata, a period of religious observance, before the journey. Prayer, restraint and attention to daily conduct are part of the larger devotional setting.
Our pictures now leave the palace story and follow pilgrims towards Sabarimala. Their journey begins at home, before a foot touches the forest path. To prepare is to pay attention: to what we carry, how we behave and why we are travelling. A pilgrim does not leave those questions behind at the door. They travel too. The way to a sacred place begins in the way a person lives each day.
Original illustration · artistic interpretation
02 / 04
The bundle and the intention
One important part of the traditional journey is the irumudi, a two-compartment bundle associated with offerings and a pilgrim’s needs. In our picture, it is being prepared with guidance. Notice the careful hands and the things gathered nearby. Each part has its place. A meaningful journey deserves that attention. The bundle will be carried along the way, reminding us that preparation becomes part of the journey itself.
Think about getting ready for something that matters to you. Perhaps you gather a book, remember what someone has taught you and make sure you have not forgotten an important thing. Pilgrimage has its own religious customs, learned with proper guidance. Looking at the preparation helps us understand a small part of its spirit: respect often begins in quiet actions that other people may never see.
Original illustration · artistic interpretation
03 / 04
Along the journey
The Pampa river is an important part of the Sabarimala pilgrimage landscape. Devotees make their way towards the hill shrine, often with the chant Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa. The chant expresses refuge in Lord Ayyappa. In our picture, a small group pauses beside the river before continuing.
Walking together asks for patience. People do not all move at the same speed. A shared path gives us chances to notice others, leave the surroundings clean and listen carefully. Picture the river moving beside the pilgrims while the hills rise ahead. There is still a way to go. The chant and the company remind us that a journey can be shared even when each person carries a quiet prayer of their own.
Original illustration · artistic interpretation
04 / 04
Eighteen sacred steps
At the shrine are the eighteen sacred steps, honoured in Sabarimala worship. Devotees approach them with reverence. The steps have more than one traditional explanation, including meanings connected with sacred surroundings and spiritual discipline. Their number invites thought as well as counting. Each step belongs to an ascent that has already begun through preparation, prayer and care on the journey.
The steps are not an established list of eighteen avatars of Ayyappa. Different traditions deserve to be understood carefully, even when they share a number. Our picture book ends at the sacred ascent, but a pilgrim’s learning can continue at home. Patience, gratitude and care do not have to remain on a hill. We can practise them at a meal, in a classroom or while helping someone. A meaningful journey changes how we take the next small step.
Meet the characters
Ayyappa devotees
Experienced guides
Lord Ayyappa
Little words, big meanings
Vrata
A religious observance or vow.
Irumudi
The two-compartment bundle associated with the pilgrimage.
Sharanam
Refuge or shelter; an expression of devotional trust.
Pilgrimage
A journey made for a religious purpose.
READ WITH A GROWN-UP
Let’s talk together
What is a pilgrimage?
Why do we keep the eighteen steps separate from a local list of forms?
What kind action can you practise on a journey?
Tradition, sources and a note for grown-ups
An original educational retelling of the cited tradition. Scenery, transitions and reflections are imaginative reading aids. No invented dialogue is presented as scripture. Illustrations are artistic interpretations.
The people in these pictures are imagined pilgrims. This is an introduction to living worship, not a complete ritual or travel manual. Check official temple guidance for current arrangements. Multiple interpretations of the steps are acknowledged.
Traditional narrative motifs checked against the cited witnesses. Original AI-assisted prose; not a literal translation or a scholar-certified critical edition. Last reviewed: 2026-10-27.
