[2] The temple is situated atop the Sabarimala hill in the village of Ranni-Perunad, within the Ranni Taluk, Thiruvalla Revenue Division of Pathanamthitta district in the state of Kerala, India.

[13] Five Shasta temples, namely those in Kulathupuzha, Aryankavu, Achankovil, Sabarimala, and Ponnambalmedu, are said to be linked to Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu.

The Achankovil temple is connected to the deity's Grihastha (household), where he is shown sitting on a horse and holding a sword, along with his wives, Pushkala and Poorna.

[26] In the year 1902, the ruler of Travancore issued a directive for the restoration of the Sabarimala temple, which had suffered damage as a result of a fire incident.

[28] No charges were brought,[29] and the earlier stone image of the deity was replaced by a panchaloha (an alloy of five metals) idol, about one and a half feet tall.

Padmanabhan Achari from Mavaelikkara was appointed the supervisor in charge of the new idol by Rajpramukh Sree Chithira Tirunaal Balarama Varma.

[30] In the early 1950s, through P. T. Rajan efforts, the present panchaloha idol of Ayyappan was installed at Sabarimalai, and a procession was taken all over Madras state.

[34][35][36] The temple consists of a sanctum sanctorum with a gold-plated roof and four golden finials at the top, two mandapams, and the balikalpura, which houses the altar.

[41] Vadakkathillathu Eswaran Namoothiri, who held the position of melsanthi, a chief priest, started the tradition of singing keerthan in the year 1950.

The festival includes the Thiruvabharanam (sacred ornaments of the deity Ayyappan) procession and a congregation at the hill shrine of Sabarimala.

Tat Tvam Asi, the 3rd of four Mahavakyas which in sanskrit translates to "Thou Art That" is the principal philosophy that governs the temple and pilgrimage.

[citation needed] The oneness of jIva and Ishvara are qualitatively but not quantitatively described by enquiry into the inner meaning of the statement ‘tat tvam asi’as follows: The customs of the pilgrims to Sabarimala are based on five worshipping methods; those of Shaivites, Shaktists and Vaishnavites.

They are expected to bath twice a day and visit the local temples regularly and only wear plain black or blue coloured traditional clothing.

[49] Many Hindu pilgrims also visit a mosque in Erumely dedicated to Vavar, a Muslim saint who according to tradition was devotee of Ayyappan.

Then comes the Aranmula kottaram, which is one of the stops of holy journey Thiruvabharana Ghoshayatra (the grand procession of the divine jewelry).

According to the report, individuals who have reached puberty or a specific age are prohibited from approaching the temple, while elderly women and young girls are permitted to do so.

[59][60] The Chief Justice, Dipak Misra, stated that the selective ban on women was not an "essential part" of Hinduism but instead a form of "religious patriarchy".

[59] Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud stated that the ban "stigamatises" and "stereotypes" women while "placing the burden of men's celibacy" on them.

The Supreme Court has decided to review the petition and hold a public hearing because of the important facts and circumstances of the case.

[64] This led to protests at Nilakkal and Pamba base camps on 17 October 2018, when the temple was opened for the first time after the Supreme Court verdict.

[67] However Ayyappan devotees in a large scale all over Kerala and also in other southern state of India namely Tamil Nadu, Andra pradesh and Karnataka, protested against entry of women in 10-50 age group in Sabarimala.

Also, Art of Living founder Ravi Shankar batted for the rules that have been traditionally followed at the sanctum sanctorum of the Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala.

After the Thantri threatened to close the sanctum sanctorum if the women attempted to ascend the 18 sacred steps, they turned back.

[74][75] On 2 January 2019 at 3:45 AM, for the first time after the Supreme Court verdict, two women in their early 40s were escorted by police into the Sabarimala temple, allegedly through a back gate meant for staff.

[45][46][76][77][78][79] After the hearing ended in February 2019, the Court, led by the newly appointed Chief Justice, Mr. Ranjan Gagoi, issued an order to send the case to a larger bench of seven judges so that the decision made on 28 September 2018, could be looked at again.

Thazhamon Madom is the traditional priest family who has powers over the religious matters to be decided in Sabarimala Temple.

Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has decided to allow more devotees daily to visit the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple as of 1 December 2020.

[90] Some of the salient aspects of "Punyam Poonkavanam" project includes:[91] The nearest railway station is Chengannur known as the Gateway of Sabarimala.

The state government has also approved the construction of a fifth airport in the Kottayam district, close to the Sabarimala shrine, on 31 December 2022.

[92] Special buses are arranged from different parts of the state to provide transportation to Kerala in anticipation of the yearly Mandala and Makaravilakku poojas performed at the temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa Swamy.