Sabarimala temple authorities and devotees of Lord Ayyappa started protests today against women of menstruating age entering the temple.
The temple will open tomorrow, the 17th of October, for five days for its monthly puja and will be closed again on the 22nd of October.
Many organisations’ activists will come together at Nilakkal, the base camp of the temple and Pampa, the base from where devotees start the trek to the temple. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress assured the protesters they will provide every possible support to them.
The devotees of Lord Ayyappa and organisations such as Shiv Sena and Ayyappa Dharma Sena said they will send a group of people threatening to commit suicide if women of the menstruating age group enter the temple.
Pringamalam Aji, Thiruvananthapuram based Sena leader said, “We will not allow them to cross Pampa. They would be able to trek on the hill only by stepping over the dead bodies of our workers. Be it Trupti Desai or anyone else, our workers won’t let anybody break customs.”
The devotees are currently protesting and checking every bus and car travelling toward the temple. Women travelling to the temple are being asked to get down the buses and go back to the base camps. They have, however, been promised by the Kerala Government they will be allowed to enter the temple tomorrow.
