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Ayyappan (also called Sastavu, Manikandan or Sasta) is a Hindu deity who is the son of Harihara, 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 Ayyappan from many different groups, spurred by vast improvements in transport and communication in southern India.〔(Local Deities India )〕 Ayyappan's annual festival is a time of pilgrimage for ever-growing numbers of men from throughout South India. The most prominent and famous Ayyappan shrine is the one at Sabarimala, in the hills of Pathanamthitta in Kerala, with over One 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 Ayyappan. 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 Ayyappan" is used as a respectful form of address in Malayalam and Sanskrit. The equivalent of Sri is "Thiru" in Tamil. The mantra ''Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa'' is translated in English as, "Lord Ayyappa, I seek refuge in you". ==Etymology== The origin of the name is as old as the cult itself, which is evident from the construct of the name. In ancient Tamil, the term 'Ayyan' or 'Aiyan' is a title of respect. The name that follows is again a term that refers to senior members of the community as a mark of respect - 'Appan' which also means 'Father'. Thus 'Ayyan' and 'Appan' put together --- 'Ayyappan' refers to a senior and respectable guardian deity of the oldest Tamil community. There are varied arguments that the cult is so ancient that the deity represents Nature itself, which was the only matter of worship then, and that they personified Nature as Ayyappan and named him so with terms denoting respect. Alternatively, it is also debated that the term 'Ayyan' coupled with the suffix '-aar' denoting respect refers to Aiyanar or Ayyanar, which is believed to refer to Lord Ayyappan. Thus it can be argued that 'Aiyanar' and Ayyappan represent the same deity of the South. This argument is further supported by the records that the divine consorts of 'Ayyappan' are called 'Poorna' and 'Pushkala' whereas those of 'Aiyanar' are called 'Poorani' and 'Porkamalam' (Golden Lotus), a slight variation in pronunciation of 'Pushkala'. Further evidences include the similarities in the unique seating style, with one/two legs folded and raised from the seat and the birth from the union of Shiva and Parvathi. Ayyappan 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 Ayyappan 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. *He is also referred to as Harihara Sudhan meaning the privileged son of Harihara in Sanskrit. 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「Ayyappan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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