The Warrior God~ Ayyappa of Sabarimalai
By
Preetha Rajah Kannan
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Jaico Publishing House; 1 edition (26 June 2019)
ISBN-10: 9388423534
ISBN-13: 978-9388423533
Power is all consuming. It strikes not only ordinary mortals, but also the Gods. Indra is a classic example of a God who can stoop to any level just to keep his throne and crown intact. Innumerable stories of his deception, lust for power, arrogance, etc, make him to be more evil than the asuras that we mortals look upon with disdain. The other Devas are just pawns in his hands. he even knows how to manipulate The Trinity. In fact in The Warrior God we once again get a sneak-peek into the deceitful ways of Indra.
Laced with a number of sub plots involving stories of animosities between the Devas and Asuras, The Warrior God slowly but steadily, leads the reader to the birth of Prince Manikantan, the adopted son of the Pandalam Raja, Rajasekara Pandyan. Born as the baby with a bell, Manikantan grows up to be a fine warrior, with acumen and the ability to even convert foes into friends. Like we mentioned above, power is all consuming especially when there are forces bent on manipulating situations, and trying to wrest it from the legally eligible one. Deception they make their tool, the unassuming they make their pawn. The Pandalam palace too witnesses a series of conspiracies drawn up with the sole aim of targeting Manikantan. How Manikantan overcomes them, how he befriends Vavar a sea pirate, how Sage Dattatreya’s wife Leelavathi becomes Malikapurath Amma, and finally how Manikantan gets a shrine atop the Shabari Hills and becomes Lord Ayyappa, is all there in this little book of just over a hundred pages.
A quick read, this one presents a vivid imagery that takes us to the scene of the battles fought not only by the Devas and Asuras, but also that fought by Manikantan. It also tells us how curses can turn out to be boons, and how love and empathy can win hearts and overcome barriers of caste, creed and religion. It throws light on not only Lord Ayyappa, but also on why the sacred shrine of Shabarimala attracts lakhs and lakhs of devotees each year.
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