2 women started trekking to Sabarimala, later chased away under police protection

Guwahati: Monday morning witnessed two women trekking to the Sabarimala temple amidst strong protest of Sabarimala devotees and later brought back to their camp under police protection. As Sabarimala is in news for not allowing women devotees of menstruating age to enter into the temple premises despite the order of the Supreme Court, there have been instances of women devotees trying to break the stereotype and enter the temple.

These two women too are of menstruating age who wanted an entry into the temple but was not allowed by the protesters. They are Bindu from Malappuram and Durga of Kozhikode who was later brought back to hilltop shrine in Kerala under heavy police protection.

Bindu, while heading to the Sabarimala, said, “We are here to seek ‘darshan’ (offer prayers) of Lord Ayyappa. The Supreme Court order must be enforced and hope, police will provide us security.”

Before this, on Sunday as well, there was high drama in the Sabarimala foothills as a group of 11 women of menstruating age were obstructed and chased away by hundreds of devotees.

Ever since the Apex court gave its verdict on Sabarimala allowing the women devotees of menstruating age to enter into the temple on September 28, there has been a range of protests and violence across the state, centering the temple by the protesters of the Supreme Court judgment.

As the first phase of the annual pilgrimage season to Sabarimala has come to an end in the next three days, thousands of devotees have gathered at the foothills of the shrine. It is a 41-day long annual pilgrim season at the Lord Ayyappa temple and the first phase would culminate on December 27.

The two women devotees, Bindu and Durga on Monday morning, after starting their trek to the temple, had reached up till Marakootam which is about a kilometer from the Sannidhanam. They had to stop there as the protest was getting stronger and they had to wait for more police personnel to accompany them. Before this, the dup were stopped at Appachimedu, a place en route Sabarimala, by protesters but later police removed these protesters from the way.

The other 11 women who were stopped on Sunday, were members of a Chennai-based women empowerment outfit, ‘Manithi’.

Also read: Transgenders Complete Sabarimala Temple Darshan