Harivarasanam
Harivarasanam is a Sanskritised Malayalam ashtakam sung as a lullaby to Hindu god Ayyappan at the Sabarimala Temple, in Kerala, India. The traditional version of the song is sung vocally inside the temple during the closing ceremony, while various popular versions of the song are sung by the devotees.
Background
Harivarasanam is an ashtakam composed in Malayalam. The song is used as a lullaby to Hindu god Ayyappan at the Sabarimala Temple, in Kerala, India. The exact origin of the original song is unclear. Kambakudi Kulathur Srinivasa Iyer, who authored a collection of devotional songs, is claimed to the author of the song. However, descendants of Konnakathu Janaki Amma claimed that she had composed the song as an offering to Ayyappan when her father, Ananthakrishna Iyer, was the chief priest of Sabarimala. Swami Vimochanananda was the first to recite the song at Sabarimala in the early 1950s, at the end of the day's rituals to put Lord Ayyapa to sleep, and the tradition has continued since.The popular version of the song, often sung by the devotees, was part of the 1975 Malayalam film Swami Ayyappan. The song was rendered by K. J. Yesudas with background music by G. Devarajan. The centenary celebrations of the composing of the song was celebrated in 2023 by the Sabarimala Ayyappa Seva Samajam.