Can you imagine Hindu devotees circumambulating a mosque in their ritual attire and bathing in a church pond as part of their annual temple pilgrimage?

Every pilgrimage season, devotees of the famed Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple visit a mosque and church as part of the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage.

Adorning the traditional black dress and bead-chain and smearing ‘bhasmam’, the holy ash, on forehead, chest and arms, Hindu pilgrims visit the mosque and the church every year and offer prayers, reviving the local myth of the Lord Ayyappa’s friendship with a Muslim youth and a Christian priest.

Read more: Communal Harmony