Ayyappan Temple, Raja Annamalaipuram

The Ayyappan temple in the seaside Chennai neighbourhood of Raja Annamalaipuram was conceived by the industrialist M. A. M. Ramaswamy Chettiar after a pilgrimage to Sabarimala in 1973, and built on land given by his father, Rajah Sir Muthiah Chettiar. The panchaloha image of Ayyappa, made by the Nagercoil sculptor Bhattanachariar, was carried in procession from Nagercoil and installed on 25 January 1982.

Known as Vada Sabari, or North Sabarimala, the temple copies the Sabarimala shrine. It rises over three floors to suggest a hilltop, follows Kerala style, and has 18 steps to the sanctum. Devotees fast and carry the irumudi as they would for Sabarimala, while a separate passage serves those without it. Sub-shrines include Kannimoola Ganapathy, Maalikapurathamma and Nagaraja, and the single-piece flagstaff is 40 ft tall. Beneath the temple, a meditation hall of 125 by 100 ft holds 1,500 pilgrims during the Mandala Pooja and hosts music and discourses.