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Iyappan (also called Sastavu,Ayyappan,Manikanṭhan or Sasta) is a Hindu deity who is the son of Harihara, a rigvedic deity fused with both Shiva and Vishnu. He is generally depicted in a yogic posture, wearing a jewel around his neck, hence named Manikandan, Literally meaning "With bell around the neck". By the 20th century, there has been an increase in the number of worshipers of Iyappan from many different groups, spurred by vast improvements in transport and communication in southern India.〔(Local Deities India )〕 Iyappan's annual festival is a time of pilgrimage for ever-growing numbers of men from throughout South India. The most prominent and famous Iyappan shrine is the one at Sabarimala, in the hills of Pathanamthitta in Kerala, with over 30 million devotees visiting it every year, making it one of the largest pilgrimage sites in the world. These devotees fast and engage in austerities under the leadership of a Periya Swami (one who has undertaken the pilgrimage to Sabarimala for 18 years) for weeks barefoot and then travel in groups to the shrine for a glimpse of Iyappan. Bus tickets are hard to obtain for several weeks as masses of elated men, clad in distinctive ritual dhotis of saffron, black and light blue colors, throng public transportation during their trip to the shrine.〔(CountryStudies Local Deities India )〕 The name "Sri Iyappan" is used as a respectful form of address in Malayalam and Sanskrit. The equivalent of Sri is "Thiru" in Tamil. The mantra ''Swamiye Saranam Iyappa'' is translated in English as, "Lord Iyappa, I seek refuge in you". ==Etymology== Iyappan is known as "Hariharasutan" because he is the son of Hari (Vishnu), the saviour and Hara (Shiva), the destroyer. His most common name is "Manikanṭhan" because when the king Rajasekara Pandiyan of Pandalam found little Iyappan in a forest there was a "mani" (bell, in Tamil) tied around his "kanṭha" (neck, in Sanskrit).〔(【引用サイトリンク】work=Sanskrit Dictionary of Spoken English )〕 As Dharma Sastha, many of them consider him to be born out of the union between Mohini (an avatar of Vishnu) and Shiva. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Iyappa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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