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INDIA-TEMPLE-SABARIMALA
Protestors block women going to flashpoint India temple
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India, Dec 23, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Hundreds of Hindu
devotees on Sunday blocked a path leading to one of the religion’s holiest
temples in southern India to stop a group of women making a new attempt to
reach the landmark.
Women activists have been trying to enter the Sabrimala temple complex in
Kerala state since a September ruling by the Supreme Court overturned a
longstanding ban on women of childbearing age from visiting the shrine.
Tensions peaked again after 11 women reached the village of Pamba at the
foot of the hill with the Sabrimala shrine at the top. Pilgrims have to walk
about four hours to reach the shrine but hundreds of protesters, including
women, from across India blocked the path, noisily vowing not to let the
women pass.
“The women are adamant they won’t withdraw until they have seen the deity
at the Sabarimala temple,” said Selvi, a leader of the women, who only uses
one name.
Police held talks between the two sides in a bid to end the showdown.
“We are monitoring the situation and will follow the decision of the High
court appointed monitoring committee,” Kerala state government minister for
cooperation Kadakampally Surendran told journalists.
Hundreds of thousands of Hindus — men, young girls and elderly women —
normally trek to the temple during the current festival season.
But Sabrimala has become a major battleground between Hindu radicals and
gender activists since the Supreme Court’s landmark revocation of the ban on
women between 10 and 50, which has sparked waves of protests and shutdowns
across Kerala.
The Supreme Court is to hear challenges to its decision to overturn the
ban on women from January 22.
Many Hindu groups and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist Bharatiya
Janata Party oppose the court ruling.
They argue that court ignores their beliefs that the deity Ayyappa was
reputed to have been celibate.
Devotees clashed with police in October at Sabarimala leading to the
arrests of more than 2,000 people.
“If these women were actual devotees, they would not have been so blatant
in their utter disregard for the age-old traditions and customs of
Sabarimala,” Sasikumar Varma from the region’s Pandalam Royal family and
closely associated with the temple, told AFP.
“They just want to create trouble for genuine devotees,” he added.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1445 hrs