<div class="socmaildefaultfont" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p>The Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala will open by 5 pm on March 11 for a ten-day long annual festival and poojas of the month of Meenam.<br /><br />Even as there were no reports of any women groups planning to enter the temple this time, police would be making considerable deployment to prevent any untoward incident.</p><p>According to a statement from the Travancore Devaswom Board, the festival will begin with the flag hoisting ceremony at 7.30 am on March 12. Temple thantri Kandararu Rajeevararu and melshanthi V N Vasudevan Namboothiri will lead the rituals.<br /><br />The festival will end on March 21 with a procession from Pamba to the Sannidhanam. Installation of a new gold plated door of the sanctum sanctorum will take place on March 11.</p><p>It may be recalled that the two-month-long annual pilgrimage season of the temple from November 2018 to January 2019, was tension-packed owing to protests against the entry of women in the 10-50 age group. But when the temple was opened for the five-day monthly pooja last month, there was no attempt by any woman to enter the temple.</p><p>The Supreme Court in September 2018 lifted the ban on the entry of women in the 10-50 age group. Two women, Bindu A and Kanaka Durga, managed to enter the temple on January 2. There were widespread allegations that the LDF government deliberately facilitated their entry.</p><p>The BJP-RSS is even making the Sabarimala issue a major political issue in Kerala, especially since the Lok Sabha elections are in the offing. A batch of review petitions against the order lifting the ban is still under SC’s consideration.</p></div></div>
<div class="socmaildefaultfont" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p>The Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala will open by 5 pm on March 11 for a ten-day long annual festival and poojas of the month of Meenam.<br /><br />Even as there were no reports of any women groups planning to enter the temple this time, police would be making considerable deployment to prevent any untoward incident.</p><p>According to a statement from the Travancore Devaswom Board, the festival will begin with the flag hoisting ceremony at 7.30 am on March 12. Temple thantri Kandararu Rajeevararu and melshanthi V N Vasudevan Namboothiri will lead the rituals.<br /><br />The festival will end on March 21 with a procession from Pamba to the Sannidhanam. Installation of a new gold plated door of the sanctum sanctorum will take place on March 11.</p><p>It may be recalled that the two-month-long annual pilgrimage season of the temple from November 2018 to January 2019, was tension-packed owing to protests against the entry of women in the 10-50 age group. But when the temple was opened for the five-day monthly pooja last month, there was no attempt by any woman to enter the temple.</p><p>The Supreme Court in September 2018 lifted the ban on the entry of women in the 10-50 age group. Two women, Bindu A and Kanaka Durga, managed to enter the temple on January 2. There were widespread allegations that the LDF government deliberately facilitated their entry.</p><p>The BJP-RSS is even making the Sabarimala issue a major political issue in Kerala, especially since the Lok Sabha elections are in the offing. A batch of review petitions against the order lifting the ban is still under SC’s consideration.</p></div></div>
