Priest threatens to close temple if any woman of barred age group enters premise

Two women, including a TV journalist in her late 20s, nearly made it inside the Sabarimala temple on Friday under heavy police security, but they had to retreat amid massive protests by Ayyappa devotees and the head priest’s threat to close the temple if any woman of the barred age group of 10-50 years entered the premises of the sanctum sanctorum.

One of the two women wore police uniform and helmet in an apparent bid to misguide the protesters. The attempt by the women to go to the temple followed a recent Supreme Court  ruling allowing anybody to enter the temple negating the tradition barring women of  menstrual age group from entering the premises of the celibate Lord Ayyappa.

The police bundobust was a sequel to the apex court order to provide protection to such women wanting to go up on the pilgrimage. 

A third woman of 46 years, who trekked through the forests up to Pamba, five km down the temple, also retreated following intense protests.

As the woman journalist and the other woman reached the hilltop, a massive gathering of devotees blocked them at Valiya Nadappandhal, the queue complex located a few metres down the holy ‘pathinettampadi’ (the 18 sacred steps leading to the premises of the temple).

The women agreed to return as, first,  police said  they did not want to take them to the Sannidhanam, the temple complex, by using force against the devotees protesting against their entry. Second,  the ‘tantri’ (head priest)  declared that he would close the temple if the women entered the sanctum sanctorum.

Though the women had earlier insisted they would reach the shrine, police convinced them about the gravity of the situation and conveyed the stand taken by the head priest.

Had they reached the shrine, they would have been the first women from the menstruating age group to visit Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala after the apex court order permitting women of all age groups to enter the shrine.

Inspector General S Sreejith, who led the police team escorting the women, later told reporters the women expressed their willingness to go back.

“The tantri has informed me that he will close the temple and go if the women entered the shrine complex. It was conveyed to the women and they expressed their willingness to go back. We will give them protection in the same manner to climb down the hills,” he said.

 Devotees received his announcement with thunderous chanting of “Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa”.

Besides the devotees, a group of “parikarmies” - temple employees assisting priests in puja - also had squatted along the holy steps, preventing the women from climbing to the shrine complex.

As the situation appeared to be going out of control with the protesters squatting on the way, Sreejith told them the police were only implementing the orders and that there was no intention to hurt their sentiments.

State Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who was in Thiruvananthapuram, also said the Government was not ready to use force and hurt the sentiments of the devotees.

“The Government has the duty and responsibility to implement the Supreme Court order and give protection to the devotees but not for  the activists,” Surendran said.

 With the protests at Sabarimala intensifying, State police chief Loknath Behera called on Governor P Sathasivam and updated him about the situation.  “This follows the Honourable Governor seeking information about the law and order situation in Sabarimala and adjoining areas in the wake of the protests against the possible entry of women into the temple,” a Raj Bhavan release said.

Opposition Congress and BJP flayed the Left Front Government for allegedly extending support to bring ‘activists’ to temple, hurting the sentiments of the genuine devotees.

Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala alleged that the “BJP-RSS combine” was trying to inflame communal passion over the matter.

Kerala has been witnessing massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Sabarimala temple since the Government decided to implement the apex court order.

The devotees had intensified the agitation at the shrine complex and nearby areas including the base camps of Nilackal and Pamba since the shrine was opened for the five-day monthly puja on October 17.