Railway
The Sabarimala Temple in Kerala is located inside the:
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Answer: Option A — Periyar Tiger Reserve
Detailed Solution
The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple is located on a hilltop inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve, in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, in the Western Ghats.
About the Sabarimala Temple:
- It is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa (Dharma Sastha), believed to be the son of Shiva and Mohini (a female form of Vishnu).
- It is surrounded by 18 hills.
- It is one of the largest annual pilgrimage centres in the world; crores of devotees visit each season.
The temple is open only during certain periods: the "Mandala Pooja" season (about 41 days, from mid-November to late December), "Makaravilakku" (around 14 January, Makar Sankranti), and the first few days of each Malayalam month.
Pilgrims observe a 41-day period of austerity ("vratham") before the pilgrimage: they wear black or blue clothes, do not shave, follow a vegetarian diet and practise celibacy.
They carry an "irumudi" (a two-compartment bundle of offerings) on their heads.
They climb the "Pathinettam Padi" (18 sacred golden steps) to reach the shrine.
The temple welcomes people of all religions; pilgrims also visit the shrine of "Vavar", a Muslim companion of Ayyappa, at Erumeli.
The "Makara Jyothi", a light seen on the Ponnambalamedu hill on Makaravilakku, is a major event.
Women's entry:
Traditionally, women of menstruating age (10-50 years) were not allowed. In September 2018, in the "Indian Young Lawyers Association vs State of Kerala" case, the Supreme Court (by a 4:1 majority) allowed women of all ages to enter. Review petitions were referred to a larger nine-judge bench in 2019.
The temple is managed by the "Travancore Devaswom Board".
About the Periyar Tiger Reserve:
- It is located in the Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts.
- It was declared a sanctuary in 1950 and became a Tiger Reserve in 1978 under Project Tiger.
- It is centred around the Periyar lake, formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam (1895).
- It is famous for elephants, tigers, gaur, sambar and the Nilgiri tahr.
Other protected areas of Kerala:
- Silent Valley National Park (Palakkad): one of the last undisturbed tropical evergreen forests; home of the lion-tailed macaque.
- Eravikulam National Park (Idukki): home of the Nilgiri tahr; Anamudi, the highest peak of South India, is here.
- Parambikulam Tiger Reserve (Palakkad).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Silent Valley is in Palakkad and does not contain Sabarimala.
- ✗Eravikulam is near Munnar.
- ✗Parambikulam is in Palakkad.
Quick tip
Remember: Sabarimala = inside Periyar Tiger Reserve, Pathanamthitta, Kerala (Lord Ayyappa; 18 holy steps; Mandala-Makaravilakku season; SC allowed women of all ages, 2018); Periyar = Tiger Reserve 1978; Eravikulam = Nilgiri tahr.
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.