Religious tolerance in sabarimala temples shadow, a kerala mosque stands witness to a long history of communal amity the mosque in erumely is named for. It is believed that vavaru swamy was once a pirate defeated by lord ayyappa and later became his ardent devotee. History vavar mosque and its fascinating legends paradise. Vavar shrine, sabarimala vavar shrine photos and timings. The devotion of vavaraswami also highlights the relevance of ayyappa devotion for members of all faiths, and the equality shown to all, whether t. According to the legend, he was a pirate who was defeated by lord ayyappa in war after which he became a close associate.
The king reconstructed the destroyed sastha temple at sabarimala with the help of ayyan, vavar, a muslim youth from kanjirappally, kadutha, a nair youth from muzhukeer, chenganoor, alapuzha dist. This building is very important religiously and politically, and can be a modest structure or an architectural masterpiece, such as the great mosque of cordoba in spain. Jul 16, 2015 here are some reasons why islam is not seen as a religion of peace. As normally as they would enter a temple, the crowd of barefooted devotees enter the vavar mosque. Can muslims and hindus ever live peacefully without having. The redesign of the vavar mosque posed a unique challenge a he had to design it so that the hindu pilgrims did not disturb the muslim worshippers inside. The mosque id dedicated to vavar, a friend of lord ayyappa. The mosque is named for the muslim friend of sabarimalas presiding deity ayyappa. A mosque dedicated to ayyappans lieutenant vavar swami stands next to kadutha swami shrine at the foot of the pilgrimage path, both as a form of guardian deities. Sabarimala epitomises confluence of various faiths in india. After the demolition of the babri mosque in december 1992, about a thousand policemen were deployed to prevent a similar incident at the gyanvapi mosque site. The bharatiya janata party leaders, who supported the demand for reclaiming babri mosque, opposed vhps similar demand for gyanvapi, on the grounds that it was an actively used mosque. So it is interesting to see another book that deals with the same topic, the building of a mosque in 16th century instanbul.
The mosque gives prasadam, ash which the devotees put on their forehead and the mosque gets donations. The mosque is a built facility with certain unique characteristics for muslim prayer, as well as an institution dedicated to maintaining community life. But little more is known about the mudandbrick building. Jan 01, 2005 basically, the book sheds lights on the mainstream political history of pakistan with a unique emphasis on relationship between mosque and military generals and mulahs. The pandyas of pandalam, historically can be placed only after malik kafurs southern depredations, when pandyas were driven out of their traditional kingdoms they moved towards the ghats and the nanjil districts.
As a building its primary and minimal role is to accommodate a congregation that performs its ritual prayers in formation while oriented toward ka. A visit to the vavar mosque is an integral part of the sabarimala pilgrimage. The mosque is dedicated to vavar, ayyappas muslim companion. The temple is located near the bhagvathy temple and is believed that the mosque and temple were built at the same period. His uncle,perissery pillai, constructed the kochampalam an old small sastha temple at erumeli, opposite the vavar pally mosque, constructed by muslims in memory of vavar swamy. Dec 27, 2015 before arriving at sabarimala temple in kerala, devotees visit a mosque every year, before they set out for the annual pilgrimage, the devotees take to abstinence of all sorts in their diet and in their conjugal life. Vavar news newspapers books scholar jstor july 2007. His solution was to construct a roofed veranda that goes around the outside of the mosque. Before arriving at sabarimala temple in kerala, devotees. History of the mosque after the peace of zsitvatorok and the crushing loss in the 16031618 war with persia, sultan ahmet i, decided to build a big mosque in istanbul to reassert ottoman power. After the demise of ayyappan people thought that he was the avathar of lord sastha and began to worship him.
Gyanvapi mosque at varanasi was originally kasi viswanath. In sabarimala temples shadow, a kerala mosque stands witness to a long history of communal amity. This mosque has been mentioned in the quran, in verse 108 of surah tawbah. The erumeli nainar juma masjid, also known as vavar palli mosque is dedicated to vavar, the muslim companion of lord ayyappa, the. One of the first things that strike you as you start to understand religion, especially in kerala, and when you start out as a kanni ayappan on that glorious trek to sabarimala now that is an experience by itself, do the whole thing including the trek from pampa via erumayur is the strange anomaly, you first visit a mosque to seek good wishes.
The masjid at erumely dedicated to vavarswami is the most noted landmark of the place. Vavar, also known as vavaraswami was a muslim saint who became a devotee of lord ayyappan. Nov 20, 2018 vavar, also known as vavaraswami, is the muslim presence at sabarimala. May 30, 2017 the quba mosque is the second largest and prestigious mosque after the masjid annabawi in medina.
The design of the vavar mosque however posed a unique challenge. A mosque is a building, where muslims congregate to pray. Vavarpalli mosque in malayalam is palli is located in erumeli, which is a holy. The roots of islamic radicalisation in kerala, radical. His remains are still in the erumeli mosque and his descendants are still doing the job of giving blessings to the hindu devotees who start thier pilgrimage to sabarimala from erumeli. Gyanvapi mosque is located in varanasi, uttar pradesh, india. The vavar mosque at erumely next to the ayyappa temple, where the sabarimala pilgrims visit, highlights the communal harmony in kerala. The devotion of vavaraswami to ayyappan and the key role that the islamic masjid has in the ayyappa pilgrimage. In this article, we look at the history behind vavar mosque and its fascinating legends. Kerala is a land where religious harmony is propagated among citizens. The real strength of macaulays book are his virtuoso drawings that detail the construction on the building. It is a tradition for ayyappas devotees to pay obeisance at the mosque in erumely, also known as ninar mosque, before heading to the temple around 40 km away in the periyar tiger reserve. Erumeli is situated very close to the western ghats and experiences a pleasant climate. They circulate around the mosque and chant the names of ayyappa as well as vavar, a muslim saint who is also referred to as vavarswami by the hindu devotees.
Amidst reports of a few women activists of a right wing group attempting to enter forcibly the prayer hall of the nainar mosque vavar palli at. Vavar shrine sabarimala 2020 what to know before you go. Oct 25, 2018 religious tolerance in sabarimala temples shadow, a kerala mosque stands witness to a long history of communal amity the mosque in erumely is named for vavar, the muslim friend of sabarimala. It was constructed by the mughal emperor aurangzeb after he demolished the original kashi vishwanath temple at the site. It would be the first imperial mosque for more than forty years. Oct 18, 2018 vavar was a muslim friend of manikandan, the incarnation of lord ayyappa. After the demise of ayyappan people thought that he was the avathar of lord sasthaand began to worship him. Ayyappan know as ayyan who belonged to the vellalar kulam. Muhammads house in medina ad 622, with its surrounding courtyard and hall with columns, became the prototype for the mosque where the faithful gathered for prayer. Indias sabarimala temple and the issue of womens entry. Though built in the early 700s, the site of the umayyad mosque, or great mosque of damascus, actually has a lot of differing religious history.
The mosque is the only building type, which has spread throughout the entire muslim world, from the beginning of the religion in 610 a. Kochampalam old small sastha temple at erumeli, opposite the vavar pally mosque, constructed by muslims in memory of vavar swamy. The threads of sabarimalas history are as tangled and diverse as indian history and society itself. The mosque is said to have been constructed by the vadakumkoor raja for his muslim soldiers.
Oldest uae mosque holds onto its secrets al bidya mosque has served the faithful of fujairah since 1446. Vavar, a muslim warrior, is considered a friend of lord ayyappan, the deity of sabarimala temple. They circulate around the mosque and chant the names of ayyappa as well as vavar, a muslim saint who is also referred to as vavarswami by the. In addition to general information about the sultan ahmed mosque blue mosque in istanbul, turkey, it shows the photos of all of the major monuments in and around the mosque. His solution a the one that i stand on now and watch the pilgrims stream past with their offerings, was a roofed veranda around the outside of the mosque. Before arriving at sabarimala temple in kerala, devotees visit a. Out of all these, there are a couple that stands out and will continue to do so till earth exists the. Vavar is a mythological figure related to lord ayyappa in hindu belief. There is a small well in the temple called the jnana vapi also spelled as gyaan vapi the. In another version, vavar is stated to be a muslim saint from arabia, who works with ayyappan.
The evolved mosque forms are known to be some of the finest structures in islamic architecture. The devotion of vavaraswami to ayyappan and the key role that the islamic masjid has in the ayyappa pilgrimage, highlights the communal harmony in kerala. Ayyappa devotees visit the mosque throughout the 160odd days of the year when the sabarimala temple is open to devotees. There is a shrine dedicated to vavaraswami at sabarimala, as well as varaswamis mosque at erumeli next to. It holds great significance as it was the first mosque to be built in islamic history. Every pilgrim who comes here visits the masjid to seek the blessings of vavarswami. The celebrated great mosque of damascus was built in the early eighth century by the umayyad caliph alwal. There is a shrine dedicated to vavaraswami at sabarimala, as well as varaswamis mosque at erumely next to an ayyappa temple. Nostalgia for eternity journeys in religion, history, and. A mosque devoted to vavar stands not far from ayyappas main shrine and hindu pilgrims. Kerala is a land where religious harmony is propagated, and therefore, you can see several hundreds of places of worship throughout the entire state. Mosque stems from the arabic word masjid, meaning temple or place of worship. Oldest uae mosque holds onto its secrets the national.
Vavar was a muslim when he met lord ayyapan and still remained one. History of the mosque blue mosque sultanahmet camii. A user friendly and informative pamphlet with illustrations and plans. This book provides a detailed study of this mosque. One can clearly notice the old hindu temple wall mixed into mosque. For example, before visiting the sabarimala temple, all hindu devotees go to the vavar mosque at erumeli. The devotion of vavaraswami to ayyappan and the key role that the islamic masjid has in the ayyappa pilgrimage highlights the communal harmony in kerala. The mosque has scriptures showing historical evidences. Vavar also known as vavaraswami is a mythological figure related to lord ayyappa in hindu belief. There is a shrine dedicated to vavaraswami at sabarimala, as well as vavaraswamis mosque at erumely next to an ayyappa temple. It is surrounded by the districts of idukki, kollam, kottayam and alappuzha, which are unique in their own their way, in the perspective of a tourist. David macaulays mosque has to be the standard childrens book on this subject. What is the story behind this everlasting friendship. The tourist department of kerala has listed the erumeli vavar mosque as one of the most important religious centres.