Sabarimala temple to open on February 12

Sabarimala Ayyaappa temple will open for six days from November 12 to 17 for poojas for the month of Kumbam.

This comes even as the Supreme Court decision on the review petitions on the entry of women in the age group of 10-50 years to the Sabarimala Ayyaappa temple in Kerala is still pending.

The police is gearing up for another round of heavy deployment as there are high chances of more women in the 10-50 years age group turning up for darshan, especially since the matter is under crucial stages of the apex court review.

The Ayyappa temple will open at 5 pm on February 12 and close at 10 pm on February 17.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is also scheduled to attend a public meeting of BJP workers at Pathanamthitta, the district in which the Ayyappa temple in situated, on February 14.

Sources said that Adityanath may even visit the Ayyappa temple as the temple would be open during those days. But his final schedule is still awaited.

It may be recalled that two women in their forties, Bindu Ammini and Kanaka Durga, were the first women in the 10-50 years age group to enter the Ayyappa temple after the top court lifted the years long ban on the entry of women in menstruating age.

Kerala witnessed widespread violence following the entry of women. Several young women who tried to climb the temple were blocked by pilgrims.

Meanwhile, the stand taken by the Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the temple, in favour of women's entry further triggered the differences among the board members.

The board’s earlier stand was that the rituals of Sabarimala need to be protected and it would not amount to gender inequality.

But on Wednesday, the board firmly backed the lifting of the ban on women in the 10-50 years age group.

It even didn't seek time for implementing the Supreme Court order citing the lack of infrastructure for women at the hill shrine.

The TDB president, a nominee of the ruling CPM, had openly expressed displeasure over this and said that he was ignorant of this stand.

But Devaswom Board Commissioner N Vasu and some members in the board were backing women's entry.

The CPM leadership also openly backed the stand taken by the board in the court.