Two women devotees entered and offered prayers at the Sabarimala Temple early this morning.
Over 3 months after the Supreme Court lifted a ban on the ban on entry of women of menstrual age inside Sabarimala Temple, two women under the age of 50 entered the hilltop shrine to offer prayers for the first time.
Soon after, the temple was closed for purification rituals, ANI reported.
Kanakadurga, 42, and Bindu, 44, claimed that they had entered the holy shrine of Lord Ayyappa early this morning. They made efforts to enter the shrine in December but had to return due to protests.
As per news reports, the women trekked to the hill shrine early Wednesday. The video showed them entering the shrine, wearing black clothes, with their heads covered. The women started their climb around midnight entered the temple around 3.45 am on Wednesday. They were escorted by police personnel.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan confirmed that two women entered the Sabarimala Temple. "We had issued standing orders to police to provide all possible protection to any woman who wants to enter the temple," he was quoted as saying by ANI.
Watch two women entering Sabarimala temple:
Bindu, a college lecturer and CPI(ML) activist from Kozhikode district's Koyilandy, and Kanakadurga, a civil supplies employee from Angadipuram in Malappuram, had come to Sabarimala on December 24 after 11 women activists of a Chennai-based outfit were prevented from reaching the shrine and chased away by devotees chanting Ayyappa mantras.
The temple was opened on December 30 for the Makaravillaku festival and there has been a heavy rush of pilgrims.
The temple had witnessed protests from frenzied devotees over the entry of women in the 10-50 age group in the shrine after the CPI(M)-led LDF government decided to implement a Supreme Court order allowing women of all age to offer prayers there.
The main opposition Congress-led UDF and the BJP have been opposing the entry of young women, saying they are with the devotees.
This comes a day after over 35 lakh women created a 620 km-long human 'wall' as part of a state-sponsored initiative to uphold gender equality amid Sabarimala controversy.
The women on Tuesday stood shoulder-to-shoulder across the national highways in Kerala from the northern end of Kasaragod to the southern tip here Tuesday as part of a state-sponsored initiative to uphold gender equality.
The idea to form 'Women's wall' was suggested at a meeting called by the Kerala government, following massive protests by right-wing parties and a section of devotees over the government's decision to implement the September 28 apex court order, allowing women of all ages to offer prayers at Sabarimala.
On Monday, thousands of devotees lit 'Ayyappa Jyothis' (lighting of sacred lamps) and lined up from Hosangadi in Kasaragod to Kanyakumari, vowing to protect the age-old customs and traditions of Sabarimala.
An outfit of Kerala's forward Nair community has said it would go to any extent to protect the customs of the Lord Ayyappa temple.
Accusing Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of trying to destroy the centuries old traditions and customs of the Sabarimala temple, outfit's general secretary G Sukumaran Nair said attempts being made to crush the faith of the people would not succeed.
(With PTI inputs)
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