One of the most important offering made at the famous Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple
is the Aravana Payasam. Millions of tinned Aravana Payasam is sold at the
temple in year. The demand for payasam in special can increases during the
Mandala Makaravilakku season. Origin of Aravana Payasam is attributed to
Aravana Rishi.
There are two theories regarding the origin of Aravana
payasam. One of the most popular versions is that the offering was first
prepared by Sage Aravanan. He made the offering in the temple in the dense
forest. In olden days people used to carry dry rice (unakkalari) for cooking
while visiting the temple. Dry rice is the main ingredient in the Aravana
Payasam. So this theory might be true as people might have started preparing
the payasm with minimum ingredients.
Another theory is that ‘Aravanan’ means God and as it is
cooked and offered to Ayyappa, the sweet got the name Aravana.
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Significance - Ghee-filled Coconut Offered At Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple