Standing at the door of tradition

Is it right to break Sabarimala's 1,800-year-old restriction? Kerala debates, with much acrimony

Will an 1,800-year-old tradition give way to modern times? A question before Kerala society, with announcements that a group of women in the menstruating age group would enter the Sabarimala shrine in Pathanamthitta district next month.

By tradition, women between the age of 10 and 50 years are not allowed there, on the reasoning that the deity, Ayyappan, is celibate. The women’s group, led by Pune-based gender rights activist Trupti Desai, has called for a march to allow the entry of women of all age groups on January 14. This comes as the Supreme Court is hearing arguments on the issue; the next hearing on February 20.

The temple administration and the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government are at loggerheads over the issue. While the government backs the demand for women’s entry, the temple administration led by Travancore Devaswom Board president Prayar Gopalakrishnan is against it. “We will never let Desai and her team set foot here in January. This is a question on the belief of millions of devotees who visit Sabarimala on an annual basis. The current government is trying to project themselves as progressive. We are not against women; of the 40-50  million pilgrims visiting every year, more than five per cent are women above the age of 50. People should understand that the deity, Ayyappan, is celibate. There will be huge problems within the state if they try to forcibly enter the shrine,” Gopalakrishnan told Business Standard.     

The pilgrimage in Sabarimala is held between November and January. Hindu organisations and Sabarimala piligrim bodies like the Akhila Bharatiya Ayyappa Seva Sanghom have come out in public against the move. Desai and her Bhumata Brigade came in the limelight in 2015, when her campaign for women’s entry at the Shani Shingnapur Temple succeeded, with a Pune district court directing the temple authorities to allow women in the shrine, based on their constitutional rights. Later, she also spearheaded a campaign for women’s entry into the Mahalakshmi Temple in Kolhapur and the Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple near Nashik . The latest feather in her cap was entry into the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai.  

 It was in November that the Left Democratic Front government took a U-turn from the previous Congress government’s stand, stating at the Supreme Court that gender discrimination should be done away with. There are differences even in the Travancore Devaswom Board regarding the entry of women. K Raghavan, a Communist Party of India (Marxist)-backed member of the board, has also supported the entry of women. 

He also criticised the move to change the name of the temple. The temple authorities had changed the name from the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple to Sabarimala Sree Ayyappaswamy Temple in November. “It was inappropriate for two members of the board to make a decision on their own in the matter of change of name.” 

The issue has also triggered an online war. While activists seeking women’s entry have came out with social media campaigns like ‘Right to Bleed’ and ‘Right to Pray’, other Hindu women organisations have entered the battle through a ‘Ready to Wait’ campaign.

Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran has said Desai and her team have not informed the government about their plans and the government will not allow forcible entry. 

Traditionally, Sabarimala pilgrims stand apart, heralding their intention of undertaking the pilgrimage by their black clothes and strict preparations, including not having any non-vegetarian food for many days prior to the pilgrimage. It is believed that Lord Ayyappan meditated here after slaying the demoness Mahishi. The festival period is called Mandala Pooja and the Makaravilakku festival on January 14 attracts devotees’ interest from across the world. 

“Lord Ayyappan is a secondary incarnation of Mahavishnu. People must understand the seriousness of an 1,800-year-old tradition. Can women climb the heights of the Sabarimala hills? The presence of impure women will trouble the divinity of the temple. The posture of the deity itself is yogic. We, along with women valuing the tradition, will not let them touch this sacred land,” Gopalakrishnan said.

Temples where women entry became an issue

Shani Shingnapur temple, Maharashtra

For about 400 years, it was believed that Lord Shani might curse women if they enter the temple. A group of women activists, led by Trupti Desai, marched to the temple in January 2016, seeking entry to the inner sanctum. Though they did not get entry, in March, the Bombay High Court asked the Maharashtra government to ensure women are not denied entry to any temple. The temple administration gave clearance for the entry of women in April 2016. 

Haji Ali Dargah, Maharashtra

The mosque and dargah in Mumbai was built in 1431 and following protests from feminist groups like Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan and Bhumata Brigade demanding, equal rights to pray, it got national importance. On October 24 this year, the trust that manages the shrine informed the Supreme Court that women will be allowed entry in a month.

Kartikeya temple, Haryana

Built in the 5th century BC, it prohibits entry of women, as it is believed Lord Kartikeya is a brahmachari.