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Two women, under 50, enter Sabarimala; temple shut for 'purification'

Two women, under 50, enter Sabarimala; temple shut for 'purification'

By Shalini Ojha
Jan 15, 2019
11:14 am
What's the story

On Wednesday, Sabarimala Temple was shut down at 10:30 AM and will be opened an hour later, after 'purification' rituals as two women devotees entered it around 3:45 AM. The women scripted history by entering the shrine of Lord Ayappa after the Supreme Court lifted a ban, in September last year, which barred women of menstruating age from offering prayers. The women identified as Bindu and Kanakdurga, claimed they prayed at the temple.

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Watch: Amid high security, women enter temple

Failed attempts

Many women, including Trupti Desai, failed to enter shrine

The women, both in their 40s, had unsuccessfully tried to enter the temple in December 2018 but had to retreat after protests. They started their trek at midnight in presence of heavy security. Notably, many women tried to enter the temple but couldn't. In November last year, Pune based activist Trupti Desai couldn't leave Kochi Airport in the presence of a sea of protesters.

Details

Earlier, women weren't given praying kits by the priest

In December, women aged between 10-50 and belonging to Chennai-based Manithi outfit, faced angry protests at the foothills. One of the women, U Thilagavathi, said the priest at Pamba refused to give them irumudi, the prayer kit which devotees carry on their heads. While they were confident the deity would protect them, protesters forced them to return to base camp.

Modi's words

Recently, PM Modi spoke about protecting Sabarimala's traditions

Notably, on Tuesday Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to support the decades-old tradition of Sabarimala which prohibited women from praying there. Speaking to ANI, PM Modi said people should read the dissenting judgment of Justice Indu Malhotra on the matter. He added Triple Talaq matter and Sabarimala wasn't the same. The former is about gender equality and the latter is a religious issue.

The wall

#SabrimalaForAll: On Tuesday, lakhs formed women wall across Kerala

While the Sabarimala issue became highly-political, lakhs of women in Kerala formed a human wall to make the temple inclusive for all. The event, organized by CPI(M)-led LDF government and several community outfits, was called 'vanitha mathil'. In nearly 14 districts, women came out in streets in support of the landmark SC judgment and against RSS' idea which supports the ban.

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The wall was huge