The Vaikunda Malai (
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
:வைகுண்ட மலை) is a hill which is part of the
Mahendragiri Hills situated near
Athala vilai of
Kanyakumari district
Kanniyakumari district is one of the 38 districts in Tamil Nadu state and the southernmost district in mainland India. It stands second in terms of population density among the districts of Tamil Nadu. It is also the richest district in Tamil Nad ...
in the
Western Ghats of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. This hill has religious importance in the
Ayyavazhi
Ayyavazhi ( ta, அய்யாவழி, ml, അയ്യാവഴി ''Ayyāvaḻi'' , ) is a henotheistic belief that originated in South India.Tha. Krishna Nathan, ''Ayyaa vaikuNdarin vaazvum sinthanaiyum'', p. 62: "" (The day at which Vaik ...
religion during the festival of
Ayya Vaikunda Avataram, the day of incarnation of
Ayya Vaikundar.
During the celebration, two processions, one from
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
and other from
Tiruchendur, reach Athala vilai and circle the hill. A Jyothi (flame) is lit at the top of this hill to symbolise the birth of
Vaikundar.
Unlike other Ayyavazhi holy places, Vaikunda Malai is not mentioned in the
Ayyavazhi scriptures.
See also
*
Ayyavazhi holy sites
The holy places of Ayyavazhi includes the following
Primary Pathis
# Swamithope pathi
# Ambala Pathi
# Mutta Pathi
# Thamaraikulam Pathi
# Poo Pathi
Other Pathis
# Vaikunda pathi
# Vakai Pathi
# Avathara Pathi
Primary Thangals
# Ch ...
*
Pancha pathi
Pancha pathi (Tamil: பஞ்ச பதி, "the five abodes of God") are the five important pilgrim centers of Ayyavazhi. These are also considered as the primary Pathis and as worship centers of Ayyavazhi with primary status. The first pat ...
*
Nizhal Thangals
References
* N. Elango & Vijaya Shanthi Elango(1997), ''Ayya Vaikundar The Light of the World'', (Published by the Authors), Jeya Press, Theni.
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Ayyavazhi