The Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala is all set to open on the 16th of November for Mandala Pooja festival for a 2 month long pilgrimage.
Located in Kerala, Sabarimala has been in the limelight for its tradition of restricting women between the ages of 10 and 50 from entering the shrine.
The temple will open two days after the Supreme Court announced its verdict and transferred the case to a larger bench of 7 judges.
On the 14th of November, the Court said it is going to seek suggestions from a larger bench of 7 judges.
However, as the verdict does not restrict the entry of women as of now, many women activists and women’s rights’ leaders are planning to visit the temple.
Speaking about the stance of the State Government, the Kerala Government refused to provide any police protection to women visiting the Sabarimala temple.
In 2018, after the SC removed the ban on women’s entry, despite police protection, devotees protested at several points on the way and did not allow women of the aforementioned age group to enter the shrine. This is the reason women who wish to enter the shrine asked for police protection.
So far, no woman belonging between the ages of 10 and 50 entered the shrine. However, this time, social activist Trupti Desai said she would visit the Sabarimala temple after the 20th of November. She addressed the media and said, “I will go to Sabarimala after November 20. We will seek protection from the Kerala Government and it is up to them to give us protection or not. Even if not provided with protection, I will visit Sabarimala for the darshan.”
However, Kandararu Rajeevaru, the Chief Priest of Sabarimala temple, said, “The decision of the five member Constitution Bench is a relief and hope for the devotees. I hope that nobody will meddle with the faith and tradition of the temple.”
On the night of the 15th of November, Kadakampally Surendran, the Devaswom Minister of Kerala, said, “Sabarimala is not a place for activism and the LDF government would not support those who make announcements about entering the hill shrine for the sake of publicity.”
The State Government deployed a total of 10,017 police personnel in the Sabarimala region, including the Pamba, Nilakkal and Erumeli points.
Approximately 800 medical staff were deployed and 16 medical emergency centres put in place for the Sabarimala pilgrimage season. In addition to this, the State Government also established 2,400 washrooms and more than 250 water kiosks.
The Sabarimala temple is scheduled to open at 5:00 P.M., on the 16th of November.
Stay tuned for further updates.
