Lord Ayyappa had his human incarnation as the son of the King of Pandalam, Kerala. At that time, the kingdom of Pandalam was under the rule of King Rajasekhara. During one of his hunting expeditions, the wails of a child on the banks of the River Pampa puzzled him. As he moved in the direction of the voice he found a resplendent and helpless infant there. The beautiful baby with a radiant face had a gemstone around his neck, hence the name Manikantan ("Mani", means gemstone and "kantan" means wearer around the neck). Manikantan was born of Hari (Lord Vishnu) and Hara (Lord Shiva), with Hari assuming the form of a female (Mohini). Hence Ayyappan is also named as Hariharasutan (Sutan meaning Son).The king had no children, though he was pious, charitable, just, and God-fearing. The king and the queen were the ardent devotees of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu respectively. They had prayed to their respective deities for blessings in the form of a child. So the King accepted the child as Gods gracious gift to his fervent prayer for an heir to his throne. Manikantan was given proper education and training and he grew into a boy well versed in academic lore and martial arts. Meanwhile the Rani (Queen) gave birth to a son; however the king regarded Manikantan as his elder son and decided to crown him as the Yuvaraja.
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