Harivarasanam

Harivarasanam (ഹരിവരാസനം) is a Malayalam ashtakam in praise of lord Shiva sung as a lullaby to Lord Ayyappan at the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, situated in Kerala, India. The song became popular through the first stanza in the Keerthanam known as Hariharatmajashtakam (ഹരിഹരാത്മജാഷ്ട്ടകം).

The traditional version of the song is sung vocally inside the temple during the daily temple closing ceremony. The popular version of the song is played simultaneously for the devotees.

Background
The first singers of Harivarasanam were the bhajan singers of Kalladaikurichi and later Purakkattu Anandeswaram Siva Temple. Devotees known as Kalladakkoottam (people from Kalladaikurichi) sang this song everywhere in Kerala and it started to become popular throughout the state.

The exact origin of the song is unclear and contested. The earliest one of the claims mentions Kambankudi Kulathu Iyer as the composer, who authored a collection of devotional songs named "Harivarasanam Viswamohanam" which included the song''. The latter claims the composer as Konnakathu Janaki Amma, which goes on to mention that she composed the keerthanam as an offering to Lord Ayyappa and she had submitted the work to her father, Ananthakrishna Iyer, who was the then Sabarimala Melshanthi (Chief Priest).

A Padmakumar, Ex-TDB president and also a descendant of Konnakathu Janaki Amma, had claimed that the family possess original handwritten notes of the author to prove the authorship. All these records mention Srinivasa Iyer as the sambadakan (compiler). The reason behind this is believed that back then, people would not write their name when submitting a creative work as an offering at the temple.

It is believed that Swami Vimochanananda was the first to recite the keerthanam at Sabarimala in the early 1950s. The practice has been to recite it at the end of the day's rituals, to put Lord Ayyapa to sleep, and the tradition has continued since.

The song became extremely popular all over southern India, when it was included in the famous Malayalam film "Swami Ayyappan '' in 1975. The song was rendered by Carnatic vocalist and playback singer K. J. Yesudas and composed in the Madhyamavati raga by composer late G. Devarajan. During his pilgrimage to Sabarimala in 2017, Yesudas claimed that the words ‘ari’ (enemy) and ‘vimardhanam’ (annihilation) in the lyrics should have been spelt separately, on behalf of the advice and new information he received from a scholar, and he would be happy to re-record it with due corrections.

Lyrics
The lyrics were originally composed in the Sanskrit language but written in Malayalam script.

Harivarasanam Award
The Harivarasanam Award is an award jointly instituted by the Government of Kerala and Travancore Devaswom Board. It is awarded for contributions towards propagation of secularism, equanimity, and universal brotherhood of Sabarimala through music. It has been awarded since 2012. Each year, Harivarasanam Award is announced ahead of Makaravilakku festival in Sabarimala. The award consists of cash prize of ₹1 lakh, citations, and a plaque.

Harivarasanam Centenary Celebrations
Harivarasanam was originally written in year 1923, and in the year 2023, Centenary celebrations were taken up by Sabarimala Ayyappa Seva Samajam across India. Celebrations were launched by Governor of Tamil Nadu state, and meastro Ilayaraja was selected as National Committee Chairman for the celebrations.