Entry of women to Sabarimala

Women and girls between 10 and 50 years of age were legally banned from entering Sabarimala from 1991 to 2018.

Sabarimala is a temple dedicated to Shasta, in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India.[1] Women and girls of reproductive age have traditionally not been permitted to worship there, as Shasta is a celibate deity.[2] The Kerala high court provided a legal justification for this tradition, and since 1991 onwards, women and girls (from age 10 to age 50) were legally forbidden to enter the temple.

In September 2018, a judgement of the Supreme Court of India ruled that all Hindu pilgrims, regardless of gender, could enter the temple. The Constitution bench of the Supreme Court held that "any exception placed on women because of biological differences violates the Constitution." Specifically, the court held that the ban violated the right to equality under Article 14 and the right to freedom of religion under Article 25.[3][4]

This verdict led to protests by millions of Ayyappan devotees who opposed the verdict.[5] A month later, about ten female activists attempted to enter the temple despite threats of physical assault. They were unsuccessful.[6][7] In the early hours of 2 January 2019, two women activists entered the temple through the rear gate in defiance of ongoing protest. When they heard that women had entered Sabarimala, the temple priests and authorities closed the temple for purification rituals.[8][9][10]

  1. ^ "Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, Sabarimala". Sabarimala. Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  2. ^ "Ayyappan: Hindu deity". Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Sabarimala Temple: India's Supreme Court lifts ban on women entering shrine". CNN. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Sabarimala verdict: SC upheld Constitution in letter and spirit by giving preference to equality in recent judgments". firstpost.com. FirstPost. 28 September 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Sabarimala Temple protests: What is happening in Kerala". The Indian Express. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Explain Who Is A Devotee, Says Woman Who Couldn't Enter Sabarimala". NDTV.com. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  7. ^ "As Women Return, Sabarimala Head Priest Says "We Stand With[male] Devotees": Highlights". NDTV.com. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  8. ^ "women-entered.sabarimala-shut-for-purification". Tribune India.
  9. ^ Gopikrishnan Unnithan, P. S. (2 January 2019). "Two women below 50 enter Sabarimala, temple shuts for purification rituals". India Today. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  10. ^ "Indian Hindu temple board reverses opposition to entry of women". The Straits Times. 6 February 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2021.