Sabarimala reopens amid uproar over police rule book on women pilgrims

The sanctum sanctorum opened at 4 am, and the temple witnessed huge rush on the opening day, two years after the pandemic-induced disruptions were lifted

The two-month-long annual pilgrimage to Sabarimala temple in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala began on Thursday amid mild protest by some Hindu outfits questioning a rule book by policemen that prescribed women of all ages can be allowed to the shrine.

Sabarimala temple Melshanthi (head priest) N Parameswaran Namboothiri opens the sanctum sanctorum for Mandala-Makaravilak Pilgrimage on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)

The sanctum sanctorum opened at 4 am, and the temple witnessed huge rush on the opening day, two years after the Covid-19 pandemic-induced disruptions were lifted.

The mandala season lasts for 41 days and the temple will reopen on December 30 for the Makara Vilakku event that will conclude on January 14.

Soon after the controversy erupted, state temple affairs minister K Radhakrishnan, who is currently camping at the hilltop, said the rule book will be withdrawn immediately and a new book will be issued after necessary corrections.

“This was printed long back and we will go by the tradition of the temple that women in certain age-group will only be allowed. There is no room for any controversy now,” he said.

Bharatiya Janata Party state president K Surendran said the book was issued deliberately to create confusion among pilgrims, and threatened an agitation if it was not rolled back.

There were large-scale protests in 2018 after a division bench of the Supreme Court opened the temple doors for women of all ages. According to the temple tradition, women in procreating age (10-50 years) are not allowed at the shrine as the deity is a celibate as per beliefs.

For the first time in Kerala, more than 50,000 people were booked for participating in the agitation. The Supreme Court later referred review petitions to a larger bench, the verdict for which is yet to come.