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The Supreme Court on Wednesday (September 17) virtually gave the go-ahead for the Kerala government to conduct the Global Ayyappa Sangamam event at Pampa, the base station of the Sabarimala Temple, on September 20 as scheduled.
The court dismissed a series of petitions against the event and refused to interfere with a Kerala High Court order that permitted the event to proceed, provided certain conditions were met.
The event, organised by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government, has triggered debate across party lines, with both the Congress, the opposition party, and the BJP alleging a political motive. Here is what to know.
The Agola Ayyappa Sangamam, or the Global Conclave of Ayyappa Devotees, is organised by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), an autonomous body that administers 1,250-odd temples in southern Kerala. Sabarimala is one of the more prominent temples under the board’s charge.
About 3,000 guests, including devotees from Kerala and other states, as well as other countries, are expected to participate in the event, which also commemorates the TDB’s platinum jubilee. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the function.
The event aims to promote the Sabarimala Temple as a global pilgrimage centre, while also platforming discussions on sustainable development and enhancing pilgrim facilities. The event will feature academic discussions on the development of the temple area in accordance with the Sabarimala Master Plan, with a focus on spiritual tourism and crowd control.
While the event itself costs about Rs 4 crores, it will be funded through sponsorships and voluntary contributions, and not government funding. Devotees have traditionally contributed funds towards developmental works and pilgrim amenities.
What the BJP, Congress claim
While both parties have not opposed the event itself, they have alleged that the move is a step towards appeasing the state’s Hindu voters ahead of the upcoming local body elections in December and assembly elections next May.
In 2018, the LDF government implemented the Supreme Court order permitting the entry of young women to the temple. At the time, the apex court had relied on the doctrine of essentiality to justify temple entry to all women, instead of restricting them to girl children under 10 years, and old women. The government’s progressive stance on the question of entry for women was met with widespread backlash over several days.
The backlash proved to be costly for the LDF in the 2019 general elections, as it won only one out of 20 seats in the state.
The Congress, heading the United Democratic Front in the opposition, has questioned the motive behind the present event.
“In the name of Sabarimala, they are carrying out appeasement of majority communalism. They have been carrying out such appeasement since their loss in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly V D Satheesan claimed.
Similar claims were echoed by the state BJP. “The government should not think it can fool the people with such actions,” state party chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar said. “That era is long over. The people of Kerala will never forget how the Pinarayi Vijayan government acted against Sabarimala, even jailing Ayyappa devotees,” he added, referring to the LDF government’s response to the protests sparked by the Supreme Court verdict in 2018.
The LDF, however, has downplayed the criticism and presented this event as proof of the government’s Hindu outreach. “Devotees have to play a major role in the fight against communalism. The party is always with the devotees and will go ahead considering their sentiments also,” CPM state secretary M V Govindan said.
The government has enjoyed a boost from the support extended by prominent Hindu organisations such as the Nair Service Society (NSS), an influential body of upper caste Hindu Nairs, and SNDP Yogam, a prominent outfit of the backward Ezhava group. In 2018, the NSS and several Sangh Parivar organisations had turned against the government’s bid to “violate traditions” at the Sabarimala temple. The NSS in particular had continued its tirade against the government ahead of the 2021 assembly elections, with its general secretary, G Sukumaran Nair, calling for “electing a government that protects faith”.
The erstwhile Pandalam royal family, which has a major stake in the rituals and traditions at the temple, however, will keep away from the event in protest against the government’s reluctance to withdraw cases registered against devotees who had protested against its 2018 move.
