NEW DELHI: Two women under the age of 50 years claimed that they were able to reach inside Kerala’s Sabarimala temple on early Wednesday morning.
According to a report, two women — Bindu and Kanakadurga — who tried for darshan last week, told a news channel that they had darshan on Wednesday at 3.30 am. They were escorted by police personnel as they entered the temple, reported news agency ANI.
Both the women who are said to be in their 40s are currently at an undisclosed location now.
Before Wednesday, over a dozen women had made unsuccessful bids to trek to the Sabarimala shrine to offer prayers during the Mandalam season.
On December 30, amid heavy security, the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala, had opened for the 21-day “Makaravilakku” festival.
The Makaravillaku will be held on Januaury 14 and the shrine will be closed at 7 am on Januaury 20.
The temple, which had witnessed frenzied protests from devotees over the entry of women of menstruating age, had closed on December 27, marking the culmination of the 41-day annual Mandala puja festivities.
The Ayyappa temple had witnessed massive protests by devotees against the state government’s decision to implement the Supreme Court’s September 28 verdict, opening its doors to women of all ages to offer prayers.
Traditionally, girls and women in the menstruating age group of 10-50 years were barred from offering prayers at the temple, the presiding deity of which is “Naishtika Brahamachari” (perennial celebate).
On Tuesday, around 50 lakh women formed a 620-km-long ‘Women’s Wall’ in Kerala. The wall was formed across the national highway which stretched from the northern tip of Kasaragod to the southern end in Thiruvananthapuram. Lakhs of women from across the country participated in this grand shoulder-to-shoulder parade, which was organised partially by the government. The women demonstrators also raised Sabarimala issue.