T P Senkumar, the then Director General of Police, Kerala, who also headed the Intelligence Wing , cautioned the Ayyappa devotees on Sunday that the agitation for preserving traditions and customs at Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala was the last opportunity to save the Sanatan Dharma. Addressing a mammoth rally named Ayyappa Bhaktha Samgamam at the historical Putharikandam Maidan in the Capital city, Senkumar warned the devotees that the next target of the Kerala Government would be Sri Pamanabha Swamy Temple which is believed to own treasure worth more than Rs 1,50,000 crore.
“The writ petition demanding the entry of women of all ages in the Sabarimala Temple was filed by five individuals who were ignorant of the Agama Sasthras that Govern the customs and traditions of the temple. Three of the petitioners withdrew from the case once they understood the reasons behind the rules governing the worshipping by women. The present Kerala Government led by the CPI-M and the Travancore Devaswam Board did not furnish the relevant details to the Supreme Court which resulted in the September 28, 2018 verdict by the five-member Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court,” said Senkumar.
The former Kerala Police Chief accused the Kerala Government aswell as some of the over zealous police officials for vitiating the atmosphere in Sabarimala by “air-dropping” women devotees camouflaged as men inside the sanctum with an intention to humiliate the devotes. “Would this government dare to meddle with places of worship belonging to the minority religions? The need of the hour is a provision in the Constitution which offers the rights enjoyed by the minority communities to the majority community too,” said Senkumar.
The rally and meeting held to mark the protest of the Hindu community towards the Kerala Government for its “high-handed” actions in Sabarimala and elsewhere in the State turned out to be a unique event as Matha Amritanandamayi, known as the Hugging Saint of Vallikkavu making her first ever appearance in a public function. The meeting also saw saints, sants and sanyasins from all the southern States participating in the meeting despite severe criticism from the Kerala Government and the CPI-M.
The Matha and Swami Chidanandapuri, spiritual leader of the Hindus in the State made an important disclosure in their speeches. “The mandatory 41 days penance observed by the Ayyappa devotees as a prelude to their pilgrimage to the shrine is the time of the year when women in the rural households see peace and happiness. This is because the pilgrims stay away from consumption of alcohol,” said Swamy Chidanandapuri. The Matha said that a research held by the medical team of her Ashram has found that the number of patients brought to hospitals in Kollam and neighbouring districts were 40 per cent less during the Sabarimala season because of the disciplined life and abstinence from liquor.
She said she was for gender justice and equality. “But one should not destroy temple traditions and culture in the name of gender justice. If the temple culture si destroyed , the temple ceases to be a plae of worship,” warned the soft-spoken Matha. The Samgamam had its own dramatic scenes. Bharat Bhooshan, brother of Kanaka Durga, who entered the sanctum of Sabarimala, declared from the stage that his family or Kanaka Durga’s husband’s family won’t accept her till she apologises to the devotees for violating the tradition.
