There once lived a King in Pandalam . This king was childless and wanted a heir for his kingdom. The king would pray every day to his favourite deity for a child. Happy with his offerings the gods decided to give the King a baby. So once when he was out hunting he found a baby on the banks of the river Pampa. The King was overjoyed took the baby to his Palace. Because the baby had a bell tied in a string around his neck, he was called Manikandan; meaning a person who has a bell around his neck.
The royal family accepted the child as the Prince. But after some time, the Queen delivered a baby and except the King everyone in the royal family showered their love only on the new born baby. The Minister in the royal palace told the Queen that unless Manikandan was banished from the Palace, her own son could not become the next King. He was playing on her jealousy. It worked out.
So, the minister and the Queen hatched a plan. The Queen pretended to have fallen sick and the doctor prescribed the milk of a leopardess as the only cure. It was a clever trick. Manikandan was known for his courage and bravery. They knew he would go to any lengths to save his mother, and hence would venture into the forest on a quest of the leopardess milk. As expected, Manikandan went to the forest in search of leopardess-milk, despite resistance from the King. He was around 12 now.
In the forest, lived a demon queen Mahishi, who used to attack and kill the people and their cattle. She was even feared by the Gods. Engaging in a fierce battle, Manikandan killed the demon. After she was killed, all the Gods praised and worshipped Manikandan. Knowing the purpose of Manikandan’s visit to the forest, the King of the Gods, Indra, transfigured into a leopardess and the rest of the Gods joined them, as leopards. Manikandan climbed on top of the leopardess and led the way back to the Royal Palace.
Everyone was surprised to see the Prince coming with a group of leopards. Ayyappa took rest underneath a banyan tree. The Queen and the Minister were now frightened and confessed to the King about their conspiracy. Finally, the King came out himself with others to welcome his son to the Palace. Manikandan forgave the misdeeds of his mother, the Minister and others. Despite being asked to rule Pandalam as the King, he nominated his younger brother to follow his father. He then took the King to the forest and told him that the intension of his human sojourn was complete and that he had to leave now. He then blazed away an arrow toward a hill. He asked the King to construct a shrine for him where the arrow alighted. He also requested his father to come annually to visit him at the shrine. Thus he gave up his human life and his divinity entered Sabarimala. Parasuram, another incarnation of Lord Mahavishnu, built the idol of Ayyappa and the architect among the Gods, Viswakarma built the temple in the Sabarimala (Sabari hills) at the place where the arrow alighted. This is the myth about Lord Ayyappa.
If you were raised in a house hold that has some connection to Kerala, you have most likely heard this or a version of this story. The story had left me with an image of a 12-year-old on a leopardess as Ayyappa.