Who said what.
Cloaked in black veils and shrouded in early morning darkness, two women of menstruating age group made history on Wednesday when they stepped into the Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa, breaking a centuries-old tradition defying dire threats from the Hindu right.
The women--Kanakadurga and Bindu--aged 44 and 42, stepped into the hallowed precincts guarded by police three months after the Supreme Court's historic judgement lifting the ban on entry of girls and women between 10 and 50 years of age into the shrine of Lord Ayyappa, its "eternally celibate" deity.
The women, draped in black and faces covered in veils, entered the temple at 3:38 am, a day after over 35 lakh women stood shoulder-to-shoulder across the national highways in Kerala, creating a 620 km-long human 'wall' from the northern end of Kasaragod to the southern tip in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the state-sponsored initiative to uphold gender equality.
Also Read: Sabarimala row: Lakhs of Kerala women form 620-km long renaissance wall for ‘Vanitha Mathil’
The temple which opened at 3 am was closed at 10.30 am for performing the ritual. Normally, the shrine closes at 12.30 pm. Since the purification ceremony was on, devotees were asked to move out of the shrine. A report said the temple opened in the afternoon after completion of the ritual.
On December 24 last year, the two women had unsuccessfully tried to offer prayers at the shrine. Police have provided security to the homes of the two women fearing possible protests.
Despite the Supreme Court's historic ruling on September 28 last year, permitting women in the 10-50 age group, no children or young women in the 'barred' group were able to offer prayers at the shrine following frenzied protests by devotees and right-wing outfits.
(Inputs from PTI)
1. Ramesh Chennithala: The entry of the women into the shrine "hurt" the sentiments of devotees
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Opposition Congress and the BJP Wednesday lashed out at the CPI(M)-led LDF government and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after two women in their 40s entered the entered the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala.
Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the entry of the women into the shrine "hurt" the sentiments of devotees and it shows the headstrong attitude of the chief minister to take women of the traditionally "barred" age group to the temple.
"Who took them to the temple just after the women's wall? They were absconding for many days after their first attempt to trek the hill on December 24. It's clear that the women were under police protection. Police acted on behalf of chief minister's direction. This was a result of the obstinate attitude of the chief minister," Chennithala told reporters here. (Photo by: AFP)
2. CM Piranayi Vijayan's reaction
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"Earlier, women were not able to enter the temple due to certain hurdles. They may have entered the shrine today because they would not have faced any issues. It is a fact that the women have entered Sabarimala. Police have given them security," a visibly pleased Chief Minister Piranayi Vijayan said.
3. Victory of equality: Trupti Desai
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Women's rights activist Trupti Desai, the leader of Bhumata Brigade who led the campaign for women to be allowed to offer prayers in Maharashtra's Shani Shingnapur temple, Haji Ali Dargah, Mahalakshmi temple and Trimbakeshwar Shiva temple, hailed the courage of the two women.
"This is a big victory for our agitation. Victory of equality...This is a good beginning for women in the new year," Desai told PTI from Pune.
(Photo by: AP)
4. Ramesh Chennithala's reaction
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Ramesh Chennithala also said that the closure of the temple for the purification ceremony was "100 per cent right", adding the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) will start agitation across the state. (Photo by: AFP)
5. Kerala government will face the "wrath" of Lord Ayyappa: P S Sreedharan Pillai
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State BJP chief P S Sreedharan Pillai said the Kerala government will face the "wrath" of Lord Ayyappa. He also said the state government "betrayed the sentiments of devotees".
"The Communist leaders, their future generations, the Kerala government, all are not going to escape from Lord Ayyappa's wrath for all their wrong-doings at Sabarimala," Sreedharan Pillai said. (Photo by: AFP)
6. BJP leader M T Ramesh's reaction
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BJP leader M T Ramesh, said his party will support the "Nama Japam" (chanting of Ayyappa prayers) protest to be undertaken by the devotees across the state in the next two days.
"CPI(M) agenda is clear now. They want women to enter the temple. For the first time in the history the temple has been closed due to breaking of tradition. The chief minister is responsible for this," Ramesh said. (Photo by: AFP)
7. CM betrayed the Kerala society: S J R Kumar
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Sabarimala Karma Samiti, which spearheaded the "Nama Japam" agitation against the state government's decision to implement the apex court order allowing women of all ages into Sabarimala, sought the chief minister's resignation.
"The chief minister betrayed the Kerala society. We will start strong agitation against the women's entry again," S J R Kumar told PTI.
(Photo by: AFP)
8. Anantkumar Hegde
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Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde on Wednesday said the Kerala government has totally failed to handle the Sabarimala temple row and has committed ‘daylight rape’ on the Hindu people.
‘The Supreme Court has given the direction. I totally agree with that, but at the same time since law and order is a state subject, the state government should know how it has to be dealt with," said Hegde.
‘The Kerala government had completely failed to manage it diplomatically without hurting the faith of the masses. It is a daylight rape on Hindu people,’ he said.
9. Tantri should have quit: Vijayan
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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the Sabarimala head priest on Thursday for conducting purification rituals after two women entered the temple, saying he should have quit if he was not ready to accept the Supreme Court verdict.
Vijayan's comments come a day after Kandararu Rajeevaru had closed the Lord Ayyappa temple and performed purification rituals after two women of menstruating age, Bindu (42) and Kanakadurga (44), offered prayers at the hill shrine early on Wednesday.
"A strange thing happened at the Ayyappa temple yesterday. The 'tantri' (priest) closed the shrine and performed the purification rituals. This was violation of the SC verdict," Vijayan told reporters here.
"The 'tantri' should have quit, if he had any objection to the apex court order as he was also a party to the case," he said.
The court had also heard the priest, who was a party to the case, before delivering the verdict, the chief minister said.
The priest had pointed out that there was a violation of tradition at Sabarimala after the women entered the shrine, following which he closed the temple and performed the purification rituals, which was strange, Vijayan said.
Traditionally, for centuries children and women in the 10-50 age group were barred from offering prayers at the temple in Sabarimala.
The top court had on September 28 paved way for women of all ages to offer prayers at the shrine, following which the state government had decided to implement the verdict.
