Sabarimala: Two women who attempted to visit Lord Ayyappa shrine today return

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 24: A day after a group of 11 women below 50-years age made an unsuccessful bid to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa shrine, two women, who began their trek to Sannidhanam on Monday morning, returned after protestors blocked their way at Appachimedu.

The two women devotees have been brought back to Pampa base. The women had reached till Appachimedu, which is two kilometres away from the main shrine. The Ayyappa devotees protested against them and blocked their way.

Forty-six-year-old Kanakadurga, a resident of Malappuram, and Kozhikode local Bindu headed for the hilltop temple this morning (Dec 24) amid protests. The two women arrived at Pampa by a KSRTC bus and started the trek towards the main shrine. They reached Marakkoottom by 7.30 a.m as police used force to disperse the protesters.

Bindu earlier today said that the Supreme Court order must be enforced and expressed hope that police would provide them security.

Women, in the age group of 10-50 years, are traditionally barred from entering the Sabarimala temple. But the Supreme Court, in its September 28 verdict, lifted the ban and permitted women of all age groups to offer prayers at the temple. After the SC verdict, several women have tried to enter the shrine but have been unsucessful so far due to the massive protest by the devotees.

On Sunday, tensions flared up near the Sabarimala Temple as a group of 11 women, below the age of 50 years, began to trek with the intension of visiting the Lord Ayyappa shrine. Manithi, a Chennai-based NGO, had declared that a group of 50 women, all below the traditionally barred age of 50 years, would visit the Sabarimala shrine.

The 11 women managed to reach the base camp at Pamba but were met by hundreds of protestors who had gathered at the entry point to the trekking path. They could not go forward as devotees started 'namajapa' (chanting of hymns of the lord) to protest against them.

On October 20, Two women, who came within 500 meters of entering the Sabarimala Temple, had to turn back and return after the head priest of the shrine threatened to shut down the shrine and stop prayers.

Over a dozen women have so far made unsuccessful attempts to trek the holy hills. Four transgenders, who were earlier stopped from proceeding towards the Lord Ayyappa temple citing security reasons, offered prayers at the hill shrine under heavy police security earlier this week.