Lord Ayyappa
Ayyappan,is a Hindu deity. The
worship of this deity was largely confined to South India previously,
but now devotees started pouring from all over the world. Lord Ayyappan
is worshipped in a number of shrines across India: at Kulathupuzha, in
Kerala, he is worshipped as a child; at Achenkovil in conjunction with
his consorts, Pushkala and Poorna; and at Sabarimala as an ascetic - a
celibate meditating in solitude for the benefit of all mankind. The name
"Ayyappan" is used as a respectful form of address in Malayalam, and
the famous mantra Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa can be directly translated as
Give me shelter, Lord Ayyappa! He is considered to be born out of the
union between Mohini (Vishnu) and Shiva.