Sabarimala temple doors open for devotees amid high security; 30-year-old woman seeks police protection to enter shrine

Amid heavy security, the doors of the Lord Ayyappa temple in Kerala’s Sabarimala opened on Monday evening for a special puja. No woman between the age of 10 and 50 years was reported to have entered the temple premises on Monday. Times Now reported that around 7,000 devotees arrived at the sanctum sanctorum to climb the 18 holy steps and witness the rituals.

#BREAKING -- Sabarimala doors open amid unprecedented security #SabarimalaForAll | @Neethureghu with more details pic.twitter.com/KESFjilgn5

— News18 (@CNNnews18) November 5, 2018

Hundreds of police personnel, armed commandos, surveillance cameras and mobile jammers guarded the area in the backdrop of protests from 17 to 22 October opposing the Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups to offer prayers at the hill shrine. Anju, a 30-year-old woman from Cherthala in Alappuzha district, sought police protection to offer prayers at the hill shrine. She, along with her husband Abhilash and children aged 7 and 4 years, approached the Pamba police soon after the temple gates opened. “She is at the police control room in Pamba now. She says she wants to trek to the hill shrine. No decision has been taken so far on whether to take her to the temple or not today,” a police official told PTI. A protest broke out at the Ganapathi temple in Pampa after Anju sought police protection. Large group of devotees raised slogans despite prohibitory orders. The temple opened at 5 pm and will close at 10 pm on Monday for the “Sree Chitira Atta Thirunal” puja slated for Tuesday, marking the birthday of the last king of the princely state of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma. After Tuesday, the temple doors will open for five-day monthly prayers on 17 November.

Kerala: Devotees climb the sacred Pathinettam Padi to enter #SabarimalaTemple to offer prayers. The temple, which opened this evening, will be closed after the 'Athazha puja' tomorrow evening. pic.twitter.com/jfLfc0A6jt

— ANI (@ANI) November 5, 2018

The government and police machinery is on high alert to avoid any untoward incidents in and around the shrine, where ban orders under Section 144 of the CrPC are in force till Tuesday night. Pathnamthitta superintendent of police T Narayanan had told PTI on Sunday that all arrangements have been made for devotees to ensure smooth ‘darshan’. Around 2,300 personnel, including a 20-member commando team and 100 women, were deployed for the security of the devotees. At least 15 women police personnel, who are over 50 years of age, were deployed at the ‘Sannidhanam’ (temple complex). The security arrangements did not go down well with the devotees and right wing activists who protested at several places. TV footage showed devotees locked in a war of words with police at several places on Monday along the route from Nilakkal to Pamba, the key base camps on way to the shrine. Besides being unsettled by the intense checking by the police, the pilgrims also complained about the lack of amenities at the base camps, which had witnessed widespread damage during the August deluge. A group of devotees, who arrived at Erumeli since Sunday evening, protested on Monday morning when they were not allowed to leave for Pamba. They blocked road traffic chanting ‘Ayyappa Saranam’ mantra. Another batch of devotees complained that women police personnel asked their names and identity cards while travelling to Pamba in a state-run bus. “They stopped the bus and asked our names and demanded that we show the identity cards. I said my name is Ayyappa… everyone in our group said the same (as the Ayyappa devotees are called). “In Sabarimala, everyone is Ayyappa… devotees call each other as swamy,” a devotee, carrying the sacred ‘irumudikettu’ (offerings to Lord Ayyappa) on his head, told a TV channel. Another young devotee said he was not allowed to chant ‘Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa’ by the security officials. Several devotees could be seen walking to Pamba after waiting for the Kerala State Transport buses at Nilakkal. Around 500 devotees, who reached Pamba after walking for several hours, blocked road traffic en route in protest. Media personnel were also not allowed to leave Nilakkal for Pamba, the last entry point, and ‘Sannidhanam’ in the morning but the restriction was lifted later. Some women journalists proceeded to Pamba with police escort. Hindu outfits, agitating against entry of women into Sabarimala, on Sunday had urged media houses not to depute women journalists under 50 to cover the issue. The BJP and various Hindu outfits are on a warpath against the Left-front government over its decision not to seek a review of the top court verdict. So far, 3,731 people have been arrested and 545 cases registered in connection with October’s protests and violence. Around a dozen women in the age group of 10-50 were prevented from reaching the temple and police and the agitators fought a pitched battle last month over the LDF government’s decision to implement the court order. With inputs from PTI and Naveen Nair