Tensions rise over women’s entry to Sabarimala temple

Thousands of devotees joined street marches in Kerala yesterday as tensions mounted over a recent Supreme Court verdict revoking a ban on women entering the Sabarimala temple.The temple has traditionally barred all women between the ages of 10 and 50.But the top court revoked the ban in September, ruling that patriarchy cannot be allowed to trump faith.Those protesting against the court’s decision yesterday, including hundreds of women, warned they would step up their protests before the temple reopens tomorrow, when it will have to allow all women entry as per the court order.“These protests have taken place in several districts over the last few days. We don’t yet have an exact number but the people ended their march in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram today,” police spokesman Pramod Kumar said.Local media showed thousands participating in the march supported by the local unit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).Smaller protests have also taken place elsewhere in India in recent days including in Ahmedabad in Gujarat.The BJP - which has historically been on the margins of state politics in Kerala - and its allies have supported these marches in different parts of the state over the last few days.Several other local religious and political organisations have also given their support to the protest marches.“We will meet each villager in Kerala and chalk out a massive agitation plan to protect the temple, its centuries-old traditions and sentiments of devotees,” Kerala BJP president P S Sreedharan Pillai told NDTV.Pillai warned the state government of even bigger protests if the issue wasn’t resolved within the next 24 hours.Dipak Misra, Chief Justice of India at the time the ban was revoked, said banning the entry of a large section of women was discriminatory and violated their rights.“Prohibiting women (from entering the temple) violates the right of a woman to worship and practise religion,” he said.Women in India have been intensifying campaigns in recent years to be allowed to enter temples and other religious sites.In 2016, women campaigned in Maharashtra to successfully end a ban on women entering the Shani Shingnapur temple.Women were also prevented from entering Mumbai’s Haji Ali Dargah until the court scrapped the rule in 2016.