Women Can Enter Sabarimala Temple, Kerala Government Tells Supreme Court

The Kerala government has now approved the entry of women into the hilltop Sabarimala temple, a U-turn from their strong critique of allowing women to enter. The temple, which is managed by the Travancore Devaswom Board defends the practice - which was earlier supported by the government.

The Hindu

The CPI (M) has said it will file a fresh affidavit seeking entry for women of all ages, Hindustan Times reported: "We want women of all ages to be allowed in Sabarimala... If there is a difficulty in allowing women of all ages, the Travancore Devaswom Board that manages the temple affairs should bring it to the notice of the court," party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had said.

The Travancore Devaswom Board bans women between 10 and 50 years into Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala in Kerala

The practice was critiqued while responding to a 2006 petition by women lawyers questioning why only women between 10 and 50 - menstruating women - were banned from the temple. The Left Democratic Front government in 2008 had filed an affidavit supporting the PIL filed by women lawyers and said banning entry of women between 10 and 50 years was discriminatory and should be discontinued.

According to tradition, a Sabarimala temple deity is believed to be celibate and in the posture of meditation.

It was a religious custom not to allow women in menstruating age to enter the temple as that could disturb the deity, he added.

The women lawyers had quoted news reports on the practice and challenged the validity of provisions of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorization of Entry) Rules, 1965 giving legality to the ban.

Terming the practice a "socio-religious malady", they expressed surprise that it was perpetuated by Kerala through a statutory board and related to a place of worship partially funded by public money as the "state gave Rs 8 lakh to the temple board per annum".