The Vaikunda Malai is a hill which is part of the Mahendragiri Hills

Mahendragiri

Mahendragiri is the name of a hill in southern Tamil Nadu, near Nagercoil, in Kanyakumari district. It is part of the southern tip of the Western Ghats, with an elevation of ....

 situated near Athala vilai of Kanyakumari district

Kanyakumari District

Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...

 in the Western Ghats

Western Ghats

The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...

 of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. This hill has religious importance in the Ayyavazhi

Ayyavazhi

Ayyavazhi is a dharmic belief system that originated in South India in the 19th century. It is cited as an independent monistic religion by several newspapers, government reports and academic researchers. In Indian censuses, however, the majority of its followers declare themselves as Hindus...

 religion during the festival of Ayya Vaikunda Avataram

Ayya Vaikunda Avataram

The Ayya Vaikunda Avataram is a festival celebrated by the followers of Ayyavazhi on the 20th day of the Tamil Month of Masi, the date on which the Ayyavazhi followers believe that Lord Vaikundar arose from the sea at Thiruchendur as the son of Mummorthies to destroy the evil spirit of Kali and...

, the day of incarnation of Ayya Vaikundar

Ayya Vaikundar

Ayya Vaikundar , according to Akilattirattu Ammanai , a scripture of the Ayyavazhi, was a Manu Avatar of Narayana, incarnated as Muthukutty or Mudisoodum Perumal, a Nadar of Swamithoppe, Tamil Nadu Ayya Vaikundar , according to Akilattirattu Ammanai (or Akilam), a scripture of the Ayyavazhi, was...

.

During the celebration, two processions, one from Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...

 and other from Tiruchendur

Tiruchendur

Thiruchendur is a panchayat town in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This town has a different name called Thirucheer Alaiwai.-Demographics:...

, reach Athala vilai and circle the hill. A Jyothi

Jyothi

Jyoti or Jyothi or Jyothy means "auspicious flame" in Sanskrit and some South Indian languages like Telugu .It may also refer to:* Jyothi , a 1976 Telugu nm,n, film...

 (flame) is lit at the top of this hill to symbolise the birth of Vaikundar.

Unlike other Ayyavazhi holy places, Vaikunda Malai is not mentioned in the Ayyavazhi scriptures

Ayyavazhi scriptures

The Akilattirattu Ammanai and Arul Nool are the scriptures of Ayyavazhi. While Akilathirattu Ammnai is the primary holy text, Arul Nool is considered the secondary regarding the religious importance...

.