Showdown at Sabarimala over Woman’s Entry into the Temple

There have been clashes today morning at Sabarimala over the issue that a woman below the age of 50 years was attempting to enter the temple. The lady named Lalitha, a devotee from Thrissur came to the temple with her son. To oppose this, several protesters gathered at Sannidhanam or the inner courtyard of the hilltop shrine surrounded her. The protests led to a tussle with media journalists too. The lady, however, told the reporters that she had come for her grandchild’s rice feeding ceremony at the Pamba Ganapathy temple. The protests tapered down when the police came on the scene and confirmed that the lady is 52 years old. "I am not afraid, I want darshan of Lord Ayyappa," Lalitha told the reporters there.

Yesterday a 25-year-old woman with her husband and her two children was stopped at Pamba which is one of the base camps where devotees halt before heading towards the hilltop shrine. That said, no one had approached the police for security so far.

The Sabarimala shrine opened for the second time for a special pooja since the Supreme Court’s verdict on women’s entry into the temple. There are fears of protests by those who are protesting the court’s verdict of allowing women of all ages to enter the shrine. Even after the Supreme Court passed the verdict in favor of women entering the temple, no woman has been able to enter the temple so far. A group of women tried to enter the temple but they were forced to retreat without visiting the shrine as protestors believe that visiting the shrine is akin to going against Lord Ayappa.

Legendary tradition behind Sabarimala

Believers profess that women are not allowed inside the temple because of a legendary story of deity Ayappa and it has nothing to do with the physiological cycle of women or them being unclean. The story goes that deity Ayappa was born out of a union between two forces of Lord Shiva and Vishnu. According to the Puranas, Ayappa was born to destroy a female demon and eventually he does kill the demon. That said, a beautiful woman emerges after the demon is destroyed. Apparently, the woman was cursed to live as a demon however the killing reversed the curse.  

The woman now requests Ayappa to marry her however he refuses by saying that his mission is to go to Sabarimala and answer the prayers of his devotees. He told her further, that when Kanni Swamis (first-time devotees) stop visiting Sabarimala he would marry her. She now waits for him at a neighboring shrine near the main temple and is worshipped as Malikapurathamma.

So the prime reason why women don’t visit the temple is partly that of their empathy towards Malikapurathamma as her wait would be a long one and partly out of respect for Ayappa and his devotion towards his devotees. Despite the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra observed on September 28 that everyone should be allowed inside the temple, no woman under the menstrual age has entered the temple so far due to this legendary story and tradition. Now, the court has fixed November 18 as the date to hear the petitions seeking review of the September 28 verdict.