AHMEDABAD: A replica of Kerala’s Sabarimala temple stands serene and packed with visitors at the Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair 2025 that began on Thursday. But the real story isn’t the replica — it’s how Gujaratis are embracing a distinctly South Indian pilgrimage, making it their own spiritual journey.
The Sabarimala Ayyappa Seva Samajam (SASS), a spiritual organisation, which has been curating pilgrimages to the Sabarimala temple from Gujarat since 2022, reports that participation from Gujaratis has only been increasing by the year.
“When we started three years ago, we had 45 pilgrims from the state including eight Gujaratis. During the last season, in Sep 2024, we had 111 pilgrims from the state and only eight among them were Malayalees. Among the rest were largely Gujaratis and a few Rajasthanis and Maharashtrians,” says C V Narayanan, president, SASS (North Gujarat).
For many Gujarati pilgrims, the impact of the journey has been deeply personal. “The Sabarimala experience, especially the 41-day abstinence, has transformed me. I am more inclined towards spiritual endeavours now,” says Hasmukh Prajapati, a Naroda-based gynaecologist. The transformation extends to community bonding. Kasturchand Kumavat, a furniture businessman from Narol, says, “What I like is that the pilgrims call each other ‘swami’, meaning Lord Ayyappa himself. It is a way of acknowledging the divine in us.”
The benefits are both spiritual and physical. “I have shed my extra kilos. I feel great mentally, too. I plan to visit the shrine again this year,” says Jagat Purohit, officer, exam department, Gujarat University.
“Keralites often return to meat-eating after the pilgrimage, but most Gujaratis, being traditionally vegetarian, maintain the practices more naturally,” says C Prabhakaran, national secretary, SASS.
Sabarimala attracts lakhs of worshippers from across religions and communities annually. “SASS aims to encourage people to rise above caste, class and language barriers and work together towards nation-building,” Prabhakaran says. “So even if you are a non-believer, join us on the trek to Sabarimala. Bond with fellow pilgrims.”
At the fair, SASS will conduct the ‘padi puja’, which honours the 18 steps leading to the Sabarimala sanctum sanctorum, on all four days. These steps symbolise progressive spiritual elevation: five steps for human senses, eight for emotions (love, anger, lust, greed, boastfulness, unhealthy competition and pride), three for gunas namely satva (goodness), rajas (passion) and tamas (inertia), one for vidya (knowledge) and one for avidya (ignorance).