Scores of women devotees gathered at Nilakkal en route to Sabarimala to prevent young women from going to the shrine in violation of the age-old traditions. Sabarimala temple opens for darshan today.
In an unprecedented way, women have been in the forefront of the agitation to restore status quo in Sabarimala.
Now, they are stopping the vehicles and giving awareness advices against the temple entry of women between the age of 10 and 50. They were telling the media that if at all young women come and insist on going ahead to the shrine, they would not permit, come what may. They say, if police come to implement the apex court verdict, they can do so after killing them (women). They are not ready to compromise on the faith of lakhs of women for the sake of a handful of women. At the moment no police woman has been deployed there. The nata (main door of the shrine) is going to be reopened for the monthly pooja rituals tomorrow. Women belonging to RSS-inspired woman bodies like Bharatiya Mahila Morcha, Mahila Aikya Vedi, etc. have sent their volunteers to Nilakkal.
Meanwhile, in a climbdown, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has indicated that no extra arrangements would be facilitated for women in Shabarimala. That means, government does not organize separate toilets for women, deployment of police women, special security for young woman devotees, etc.
Even though TDB holds talks with stakeholders to find a way out to break the stalemate, Pandalam Royal family has organised a thousand strong two-wheeler rally to Nilakkal. Rally is underway.
Now, the devotees hope that sanity will prevail and the government would take bold steps to maintain the traditions.
Meanwhile, a group of feminists from CPI(M)’s ‘party villages’ descended on Nilakkal for climbing Sabarimala. Reports suggest that the group included ultra Leftists and Maoists. Most of them belonged to the band of anarchist groups who organized “kiss of love” movement and “burn your tali“(mangalsutra) movement a couple of years ago. Most of them are reported to be from Kozhikode.
Reports from Nilakkal suggest that women believers have stopped some young women at Nilakkal as they came to go to Shabarimala.
TDB said they would reveal their stand after a meeting with stakeholders on October 19. The decision was taken in a meeting after they met the stakeholders to find a solution to the stalemate.
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