Sabarimala, November 16
Kerala Police did not allow three women who were part of a group of pilgrims to go to the Sabarimala temple to pray on Saturday—the day the temple opens up for the annual pilgrimage.
The temple tradition disallows women in the age group of 10 to 50 years to enter the temple precinct. Police said they checked the women’s identity card before denying them permission. The three women came from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, and were part of a larger group of pilgrims who were stopped for checking at Pamba base camp. Sources said that three women agreed to stay back after they were told about the “temple tradition”.
The two-month-long Sabarimala temple festival officially opens for pilgrims on Sunday. However, it opens on Saturday at 5 pm for religious rituals to be performed by temple priest and “tantris”.
The famed Sabarimala temple that resembled a fortress a year ago wore a peaceful look on Saturday.
No prohibitory orders, which were clamped last year, have been in place in and around the temple town this time.
Though the Supreme Court on Thursday gave a 3:2 verdict referring the Sabarimala review pleas to a larger Bench, it maintained that it has not stayed the September 28, 2018, order allowing women to enter the temple.
This time around, however, the Kerala government has made it clear that it would not make any effort to take women to the temple to pray.
Last year, the police provided security to women who faced stiff resistance from activists of some right-wing forces and chased them away.
