Rules of the vratam

41 days at a glance

• Mala from a Guru swami
• Sattvic food — no onion, garlic, alcohol or tobacco
• Cold bath before sunrise
• Saranam mantras morning and evening
• Irumudi, then the eighteen steps

In full

1. 01

   Wearing the Mala

   After receiving the mala from a Guru swami, the devotee adopts a sattvic lifestyle for the 41-day mandala vratam. The mala is worn at all times until the pilgrimage is complete.

2. 02

   Daily Conduct

   Wake before sunrise, bathe in cold water, recite the Saranam mantras morning and evening. Maintain celibacy, truthfulness, and non-violence in thought, word, and deed.

3. 03

   Diet

   Strict vegetarian (no onion, garlic, alcohol, tobacco, or stimulants). One sattvic meal a day is encouraged for advanced swamis.

4. 04

   Saranam Mantras

   Recite Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa, Hariharasudhane Saranam Ayyappa, and the 108 Saranangal at least once a day.

5. 05

   Irumudi Kettu

   On the day of pilgrimage, the irumudi (sacred bundle) is filled with ghee-coconut, coconut, betel, turmeric, and other offerings. The front pouch holds offerings for Ayyappa; the back pouch is the devotee own provisions.

6. 06

   Pilgrimage to Shabarimala

   The journey culminates in climbing the Pathinettam Padi (18 sacred steps) at Shabarimala carrying the irumudi. Only those who have completed the vratam may climb the steps.

7. 07

   Conduct after Darshan

   After darshan and the journey home, the mala is removed by the Guru swami in a simple ceremony, marking the formal end of the vratam.