As Manikanta entered the dense forest, his father, Lord Shiva, sent a few of his attendants (ganas) to accompany him. When they arrived on the banks of the Pampa river, a group of sages who had long awaited this moment rushed to the boy and prostrated themselves at his feet, “Swami Ayyappa! You have come at last!” They then led him to Ponnambalam, a golden assembly hall they had built on top of a hill. In the days that followed, Swami Ayyappa bequeathed brahmajnana (knowledge for self-realization) to them here.Meanwhile, Mahishi continued to be immersed in worldly pleasures in the company of Mahisha. During her absence, the devas had begun to torment the asuras she had left behind in heaven. The suffering asuras came running to her for relief. Seeing their plight, Mahishi abandoned Mahisha and made her way back to heaven and reclaimed power for the asuras. His mission completed, Mahisha merged with the radiance (tejas) of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu from where he had taken birth.The devas came to face, yet again, great humiliation and cruelty at the hands of Mahishi and her asuras. They rushed to Ponnambalam and beseeched Ayyappa: “You alone can save us!”Making his way to heaven, Ayyappa grabbed Mahishi by her horn and flung her down to her death in the world below. Descending to where her corpse lay, he danced on it. Leela, who had been cursed to be born as Mahishi, emerged from the corpse and bowed to him: “My Lord, you have freed me from my curse.” She then asked him to make her his wife.“I cannot do that,” Ayyappa replied. “I am a brahmachari (a celibate) in this life. But you can reside in my body as shakti.” She agreed. He then left for Kailasa,his father’s abode.Shiva embraced his son joyfully. “You have fulfilled your mission and saved devas from the tyranny of the asuras. But your foster father, Rajashekhara, is anxious that you haven’t returned from the forest. You must put his worries to rest. There is another task for you to fulfil. In your previous incarnation as Rama, Sabari had felt blessed to see your physical form (saguna). She is waiting for you in her ashram in Rajashekhara’s kingdom. Show her the secret of your formless (nirguna) presence.”Ayyappa agreed. Lord Indra turned into a mighty tiger for him to ride on. Many other devas also turned into tigers and followed him.News about Manikanta’s return from the forest spread fast and the people of Pantalam started gathering to greet him. But they were terrified at seeing him astride a large tiger with hundreds of other tigers walking behind him. They started fleeing from there.The commotion made Rajashekhara rush out of his palace. The sight of Manikanta riding a tiger didn’t frighten him at all. He was only relieved that his son had returned unharmed.Manikanta prostrated at his father’s feet. “I have brought the tigers from the forest. I can milk them now to help prepare the medicine.”Certain that his son was a divine being, Rajashekara sought his forgiveness, “I ought not to have made you serve me.”Just then, Agastya, the sage, appeared at the scene and explained to the king, “Ayyappa is the son of Shiva and Vishnu. He took birth to slay the demoness, Mahishi. And, he could fulfil that task only after being your son, Manikanta, for twelve years. You must not have any misgivings in this matter.”A relieved Rajashekhara turned to Ayyappa, “I came to know of the evil designs of my wife and my minister after you had left for the forest. How must they be punished?”Ayyappa asked that they be forgiven. “What they did,” he said, “was only part of the larger designs of God.” He then glanced at the tigers. Realizing that they were no longer needed, they disappeared from there.Seeking Ayyappa’s blessings, Rajashekhara pleaded with him to remain in his kingdom and protect his people from all harm.Ayyappa granted the wish. “Sabari is waiting to see me (darshan). Build a temple for me on the blue hill that is on the east of her ashram on the banks of the Pampa river.”“On which part of the hill must the temple be built?” the king asked.“I’ll shoot an arrow towards the hill. The temple must be built where it lands. The hills that surround the temple will be called Sabarimalai.”Rajashekhara was saddened that Ayyappa would leave him soon. The latter reassured him, “I’ll continue to be here as an idol inside the temple.”The king wished to build the temple for Ayyappa at the earliest. He took his family and a group of architects and sculptors towards Sabarimalai. While the entourage rested at Sabari’s ashram, Vapara, an attendant of Shiva, led Rajashekara to the golden assembly hall at Ponnambulam. Upon reaching there, the king saw Ayyappa seated on a golden throne with eighteen steps leading up to it from the floor. He was overcome with devotion at the sight. Motioning to him to come towards him, Ayyappa blessed him. Rajashekara commenced the work on the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimalai the very next day. Indra sent Vishvakarma, the celestial architect, to build the temple. And, Parasurama himself sculpted the idol of Ayyappa.(This is the concluding part of the series)