Sabarimala opens today HIGHLIGHTS: Tensions are running high in Kerala. Express Photo
Sabarimala Temple Row Live Updates: Amid threats of “mass suicides” and disruption, the famous Sabarimala Temple in Kerala opened its doors on Wednesday evening at 5 pm — including for women devotees of all ages. Tensions are running high in Kerala as the gates to the hill shrine have been opened for the first time since the Supreme Court lifted the age-old entry ban on women in the 10-50 age group.
Read LIVE updates of Sabarimala hartal here
At least one elderly woman was hurt in the violent protests that took place in Nilakkal near the Sabarimala base camp. The police took to lathicharge as protesters pelted stones at those trying to trek to the Sabarimala shrine. The media personnel, including female journalists, present at the site were also attacked and threatened by the protesters who asked them to turn off their cameras and return.
Two women who tried to undertake the 5-km trek from the base camp at Pamba river were forced to return after walking for a few metres.
Sabarimala latest news in Malayalam | Tamil
Earlier today, as devotees made their way to the shrine, the police detained multiple protesters for blocking the pilgrims. Representatives of the Thantri (priest) family and members of the Pandalam Royal family were also detained. The BJP, in a warning to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said, “The protest will change the face of Kerala.” Kerala BJP leaders also warned of “severe consequences” if the police lathicharge “Hindu devotees.”
In Pictures | Kerala tense as Sabarimala temple opens to women today
Map showing Sabarimala shrine and Nilakkal, the base camp where violent protests took place on Wednesday.
In light of violent protests against the Supreme Court judgment allowing women to enter the Sabarimala shrine, the National Commission for Women urged the Kerala police to ensure security of women who wish to offer their prayers at the temple. The NCW demanded stringent action against the protesters and also asked DGP Kerala Loknath Behera to submit a detailed action report.
Kerala minister EP Jayarajan addressed the media on the issue of violence near the Sabarimala temple on Wednesday, ANI reported. Blaming it on the RSS, he said, 'RSS criminals hid in forests and attacked the Ayappa devotees. 10 media personnel, 5 devotees and 15 policemen were attacked.'
He further said, '10 KSRTC buses were damaged. Devotees from other states were beaten up and sent back. RSS-BJP is behind all of this. Supreme Court rule applies to all, the govt is just following and implementing it.'
(Source: Vishnu Varma)
Section 144 is to be imposed in four areas - Nillakkal, Pamba, Sannidhanam and Elavumkal - tomorrow, The News Minute quoted Pathanamthitta District Collector PB Nooh as saying. He further said that there would be no obstruction to peaceful pilgrims tomorrow, and permissions will not be granted for any protests whatsoever.
The devotees can offer prayers at the Sabarimala shrine till 10.30 pm today. The portals will remain open till 22nd October.
Amidst ongoing protests, the Sabarimala shrine has been opened for monthly rituals.
Protests intensified Wednesday as the famed shrine of Lord Ayyappa in the Sabarimalatemple in Kerala is set to open its doors to devotees, weeks after the Supreme Court allowed entry to women of all ages.
The agitation against the apex court verdict shifted to Nilackal and Pamba, the two main base camps of Sabarimala, and had turned violent. Despite the high security and assurances from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, two women pilgrims were forced to turn back fearing for their safety. Several women journalists were heckled and protesters pelted stones at media vehicles.
Here is what happened so far
BJP leader MS Kumar took on the LDF government for its failure to maintain law and order in the state as protests at Nilakkal turned violent. "LDF govt is fully responsible for any law and order situation in the state. It's a very unfortunate situation, we aren't responsible. No BJP worker is involved, we're condemning that attempt," he said.
The protests at Nilakkal near the Sabarimala base camp turned violent with the protester and the police throwing stones at each other. At least one elderly woman has been rushed to hospital after she was injured in the stone pelting, allegedly from the side of the police. The media personnel at the location are facing hostility from the protesters who have been asking reporters to switch off cameras and return. Women journalists at the spot are also being asked to leave. However, the police have been ignoring these threats to journalists.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women has taken cognisance of the attack on women journalists and a meeting is underway at the NCW office to discuss further steps, ANI reported.
According to The News Minute, police have lathicharged the crowd. The police personnel are in riot gear and are throwing the stones back at the protestors.
According to reports, Rahul Easwar, a member of the Thantri family of Sabarimala was detained by the Pamba police. Easwar is the president of 'Ayyappa Dharma Sena', which is at the forefront of the 'Save Sabarimala' campaign and has been protesting against the Supreme Court order.
Ayyappa devotees taking a dip in the Pamba river ahead of climbing Sabarimala hill
There are reports of violence in Nilakkal, a halting-place for the Ayyappa devotees during Sabarimala pilgrimage. Stones were pelted on media vehicles and some female journalists were also attacked by the protestors.
Kerala minister VS Sunil accused the RSS and BJP of talking double standards on the Sabarimala issue. "On one hand, five advocates associated with the BJP gave petition in Supreme Court over entry of women of all ages in Sabarimala temple, and on the other hand, the BJP is leading a fight against the verdict. Now it is trying to relate the issue to law and order situation," he said, reported news agency ANI
Talking to reporters at Sannidhanam, temple tantri Kandaru Rajeevaru said the centuries-old rituals and traditions of the Lord Ayyappa shrine should be protected. While Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, M T Ramesh said the government and police were trying to make Sabarimala a "war zone". "It is important to protect the sanctity of the Lord Ayyappa Temple. The government is not taking into consideration the sentiments of Ayyappa devotees who are coming in large (numbers) to Nilakkal and Pamba," he told reporters in Pamba.-PTI
The News Minute also reports that one of its reporters and a Republic TV journalist were attacked by the mob who were protesting against the Supreme Court verdict. The police has taken them to a local police station. However, a mob seems to be waiting outside the premises, the report adds
A couple from Tamil Nadu, aged 45 and 40, on their way to Pamba, were forced to get off from the KSRTC bus Monday night allegedly by some activists of the Sabarimala Achara Samrakshana Samiti. Although the couple had said that they would go only up to Pamba and not climb Sabarimala, the activists stopped them from proceeding. The police later took them to safety.
Another woman hailing from Alappuzha district was stopped by protesters at the Pathanamthitta bus terminal, reports news agency PTI. The passengers including women chanting Ayyappa mantra urged the woman, Liby, not to violate the centuries-old custom of the shrine where women in the menstruating age group are not allowed. Liby said she would climb the hills and no one had the right to violate the freedom granted by the Supreme Court. The woman was later escorted out to the bus station by the police.
Madhavi, the first woman who attempted to enter the Sabarimala Temple, was forced to return amid the protests over the Supreme Court verdict. Even though the police personnel gave them protection and allowed them to move further, the family, after walking a short distance, decided to return as angry activists of Ayyappa Dharma Sena surrounded them and asked them to go back. They eventually left the shrine dejected. The News Minute reports that 50 people have been booked for blocking Madhavi's way.Nilakkal: A woman Madhavi on her way to #SabarimalaTemple returned mid-way along with her relatives after facing protests. #Kerala pic.twitter.com/OUCbOqa1aO— ANI (@ANI) October 17, 2018
Representatives of the Thandri (priest) family and members of the Pandalam Royal family were detained in Pamba for protesting against the Supreme Court's verdict that allows women of all ages in the shrine.
Reacting strongly on the development, Kerala BJP leader Shobha Surendran warned of "severe action" if the police touch "any Hindu devotee." Talking to reporters in Pamba, she said, "I am warning the Chief Minister that if the police resort to lathicharge on Hindu devotees, the BJP will firmly rally behind these pilgrims. I also want to tell the CM that consequences will be severe." Adding that the protests will change "the face of Kerala," she asked, "Why were the members of the priests family and the royal family detained when they did nothing to provoke. They were protesting peacefully. I also want to tell the CM who persisted to get the SC verdict delivered in favour of the govt that there will be severe consequences."
Shoba, along with K Surendran and MT Ramesh are undertaking Nama japa (prayers) at Pamba.
Sabarimala is considered one of the biggest pilgrimages in the world, with millions of people offering prayers at the temple chiefly from the five south Indian states. Unlike other Hindu temples in the state, Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha temple is not open the year-round. It opens for devotees to offer prayers for the first five days of every month in the Malayalam calendar, as well as during the annual ‘mandalam’ and ‘makaravilakku’ festivals between mid-November to mid-January.
Most of the pilgrims arrive at the temple during the busy ‘mandalam’ and ‘makaravilakku’ festivals, after they undertake a rigorous 41-day vratham, or a vow of abstinence. During this 41-day period, devotees are required to wear only black or deep blue attire, address each other as ‘swami’, perform daily pujas, abstain from non-vegetarian food, liquor and sex and not wear footwear. However, it is not mandatory for everyone to observe the ‘vratham’ to offer prayers at the temple.
The temple is also open to people from all religions.
The myth of the presiding deity at Sabarimala is connected to the Pandalam royal dynasty which had settled in present-day parts of Pathanamthitta after breaking away from the Pandya dynasty. The King and Queen of Pandalam were believed to be childless. The story goes that when the King went hunting one day, he found a crying baby by the side of the river in a forest. Upon inquiring, a sage advised the king to take the baby home and bring him up as his own son, which the King eventually did. The child was named Manikandan and grew up to become the prince of Pandalam.
When Manikandan was 12, the queen of Pandalam developed a sudden illness and the physician treating the Queen recommended tigress’s milk to treat the same. While everyone shied away from the responsibility of bringing tigress’s milk from the forest, Manikandan volunteered to do so. He eventually not only brings the medicine, but himself rides a tigress, accompanied by several cubs, to return to the kingdom. The king, said to have been elated with his adopted son, realises that he is no ordinary child. According to the lore, Manikandan expresses his desire to renounce the kingdom and all material wealth and become an ascetic. The king later builds a shrine for his son, 30 kms away atop a hill that eventually became Sabarimala, where Manikantan acquires a divine form and becomes Ayyappan.
There are scores of RSS workers and volunteers who are making their way from the base camp at Nilackal. They have abandoned attempts to stop cars and buses and are travelling with chants of "Lord Ayyapaa" filling the air.
Over 500 cops that are deployed on the site are ensuring that the movement of vehicles and devotees remain unaffected because of the protests. Libi, a resident of Cherthala, was stopped by protesters at Pathanamthitta, but with the help of police, she was rescued and is being given security as she travels to Sabarimala. Another family hailing from Andhra Pradesh has been given police protection as they move to Pamba accompanied by a 40-year-old woman. However, there are very few women between the age group of 10 to 50 years who are going towards Pamba.
(Express photos)
Protesters are screening the vehicles at Nilakkal and Erumeli, the two base camps for this month’s Sabarimala pilgrimage. A woman journalist Ritu was one of those who was stopped by the protesting women devotees. Ritu claimed she was heading for the temple on assignment and had no intention of entering the shrine, something that could have offended the religious sensibilities of Ayyappa devotees. Read more
BJP MP Udit Raj says that he is surprised to see that women themselves are stopping others from going to the shrine. "I have seen the fight for equality, not for slavery and inequality. On one hand, fight against atrocities by men is going on in the nation and on the other hand, women are fighting against their own freedom & rights. It has happened for the first time in the world, it's amusing - 'Make me a slave, treat me unequally, we're inferior to men' - women are stopping women. What's the point in this. I don't know what's happening in this nation," he said, adding that it was his personal opinion.
Adding that anyone will not be allowed to entice violence, protesters in tents near Nilackal were driven away and few were taken into custody this morning. The police has also added that security will be tight in Pamba as well. Also, present at Nilackal are few RSS activists, Swayamsevaks and volunteers from other Hindu organisations.
Our correspondent Vishnu Varma who is present at Nilackal says that massive security has been deployed at the site to ensure that all those who want to visit the temple are allowed to go. A team of 500 security officers and 100 plus women officers and constables are at Nilackal to ensure law and order in the area. "Police will do everything to provide security to those who wish to go to Sabarimala - men and women of all ages. All the buses, cars carrying both men & women will be allowed to go to Pamba and anyone who tries to stop them will be taken into custody," Manoj Ibrahim, Inspector-General said.
There's a mixed opinion among the women on the Sabarimala row. Priests argue that the ban is essential to the rites for Lord Ayyappa, considered eternally celibate. Women in the menstruating age of 10 to 50 are considered "impure" and hence not allowed inside the premises. Those opposing the judgment also argue that the journey is tough for women to undertake.
The journey to Sabarimala for women of menstruating age till now ended at a base camp near Pamba river, while others continued the 5-km trek upwards. Many women The Indian Express spoke to in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana said traditions and beliefs should not be tampered with.
While many women said the court has no power on issues of faith and belief, many said they want to visit the shrine but have put off the plan fearing a blowback from conservative believers. And there are a few who find it hard to forfeit their newly acquired right.“There are many arguments – from the impurity of women to the difficult journey — to prevent women’s entry into Sabarimala. We have gone to Mars, why not Sabarimala now? Temple authorities should provide security for women,” says Latha Subramaniam, a university professor in Chennai in her late 40s.
There are others who decided to wait till they turn 50. Rasmi Ramesh, who runs a local cafe in Chennai and is in her 30s, said she will wait till she turns 50. “The court has no power on Sabarimala,” she said. “What is being followed there or any temple is tradition and belief. I am a devotee of Ayyappa, and I accept the fact that I can go there only after I turn 50 — that is the tradition. I visited Sabarimala when I was a child, and I will go again when the time comes.”
Read more: Some women consider Sabarimala trek as many vote for status quo
In a 4-1 verdict, Supreme Court on Septemeber 28 put an end to a centuries-old custom, restricting women into the Sabarimala temple. However, a bench of five judges, led by the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Justice Indu Malhotra gave a dissenting order stating “the religious practice of restricting the entry of women between the ages of 10 to 50 years is in pursuance of an ‘essential religious practice’” and “notions of rationality cannot be invoked in matters of religion by courts”. Read more| SC removes gender barrier, throws open Sabarimala to women of all ages
Justice Chandrachud said “the postulate of equality is that human beings are created equal… To exclude women from worship by allowing the right to worship to men is to place women in a position of subordination. The Constitution should not become an instrument for the perpetuation of patriarchy.
Ever since the apex court's judgment, Kerala has witnessed major upheavals. Kerala BJP yesterday concluded the five-day long rally against the implementation of the Supreme Court's verdict. Following state government's refusal to file review petitions against the apex court's order, BJP, Congress and Hindu outfits protested in the state, disrupting normal life.
Earlier this month, some organisations had filed review petitions seeking review of the apex court's order, which the court had declined to hear. Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan maintained his stand that his government would abide by the top court's order and cannot backtrack from its affidavit. “The government does not want to clash with the faithful. At the same time, the government will not succumb to the attempts of the politically motivated forces who want to foment tension in society. The government will go ahead in upholding the reformative tradition of the state,’’ he said.
Who filed the case?
A group of five women lawyers had moved the apex court after the Kerala High court upheld the centuries-old restriction, and ruled that only the “tantri (priest)” was empowered to decide on traditions. The top court heard the matter for eight days, reserving the judgment in July.
The shrine of Lord Ayyappa is at present located atop a hill, 3000 metres above the sea level, at Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. The last couple of weeks have seen a strong surge in street-protests and prayer meetings by devotees of Lord Ayyappa who are divided on the topic of women entry in the temple. The striking of the ban has snowballed into a controversy with the BJP opposing the judgment. While the Congress national leadership has been supporting the Supreme Court verdict, the party unit in Kerala has taken a ringside position. The Vijayan government, meanwhile, has refused to file a review petition in the court and issued a stern warning to those who dared block devotees from entering the temple.
Good morning! The famous Sabarimala Temple in Kerala opens today amid protests over the Supreme Court verdict that lifted the ban on women between the age group of 10 to 50 years. Follow this space to track all the latest information as thousands of women make the historic journey to the hill shrine.