The Hindu genius has the peculiar virtue of reconcil¬
ing the irreconcilables. At a time when the Saivas and
Vai~l).avas were at loggerheads, the story in the Bhiigavata
(8.12), of Siva being enraptured by the voluptuous beauty
of (Vi~l).u as) Mohinl, the enchantress, must have come
in very handy. By taking it to the logical conclusion it
produced the wonderful deity Hariharaputra or Sasta, more
commonly known as 'A yyappan ' (a corrupted form of
Arya). Whatever he might have been in the beginning,
he was certainly not a compromise candidate tolerated
by both the groups, but Supreme God Himself, highly
venerated by both.
Mythological accounts, of course, have their own
story to tell. After the death of Mahi~asura at the hands of
Durga, his spouse Mahi~l performed severe austerities to please Brahma. She succeeded in getting the boon that she could not be killed by Siva or Vi~l).u. This newfound
strength of Mahi~l posed a formidable challenge to the
gods and the world. Siva and Vi~I:1u, who could not singly
vanquish her, hit upon the plan of coming together to create
her destroyer. The child thus created was found by King
Rajasekhara of Panthalam in Kerala who named it as MaI:1ika9~han and brought it up as his own son, since he had

no offspring. When MaI:likaI:l!han was twelve years old, he killed Mahi~I and brought leopardesses to his father's palace since their milk was needed to cure the 'headache' of the queen. Meanwhile to the king had been revealed the secret of MaI:likaI:l!han being God Himself. Adored by the king MaI:likaI:l!han disappeared, after instructing him to build a temple at the place where his arrow would land. That was the summit of the hill Sabanmalai. The temple is said to have been built by Visvakarma and the image prepared and installed by Parasurama. The place attracts millions of pilgrims even now.
The word 'Sasta' means one who controls and rules over the whole world. Mahasasta and Dharmasasta are the
other names by which the deity is known. 'Sasta' is one of
the names of Buddha. The deity is said to ride on a white elephant called Yogi. He is also described as the protector of Dharma. Hence some scholars opine that Dharma-Sasta may be Buddha absorbed into the Hindu pantheon by the South Indian Hindus.
The image of Sasta has four arms, three eyes and a peaceful countenance, and is seated in Padmasana. Two of the hands carry the sword and the shield and the other two exhibit the Abhaya and Varada Mudras.
According to another version, the image should have only two hands and two eyes, and should be seated with the legs folded. It should be bedecked. with ornaments and
have the YajfiopavIta. A crooked stick, fruits and tender leaves of plants are sometimes shown in his hands. A VajradaI:lQa is also shown occasionally.
Images in the standing posture are also seen to exist, though rare.
The ritual pilgrimage to the shrine of Sri Ayyappan at Sabarlmalai is considered to be extrem~ly auspicious and meritorious. The pilgrimage itself has to be preceded by forty-one days of austerity during which period strict celibacy is to be observed as also restrictions regarding food, speech and sleep.