The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, has decided to oppose the entry of women in the 10–50 age group to the shrine, marking a significant shift ahead of the Supreme Court’s review proceedings.
TDB president K. Jayakumar said on Monday that the board is duty-bound to protect the temple’s traditions, beliefs, and customs. He stated that a board meeting held the same day passed a resolution maintaining that the ban on entry of women in the 10–50 age group should continue. The board will communicate its stand to the Supreme Court, he added.
The development comes at a time when the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala has not formally clarified its current position. Observers note that the TDB’s move could be in line with the evolving political stance of the ruling front.
Last month, the Supreme Court directed all parties involved in the matter to submit their views by March 14 on the review petitions challenging the 2018 judgment that lifted the long-standing restriction on the entry of women of menstruating age to the hill shrine. Notably, both the Left-front government and the TDB had earlier supported the apex court’s verdict permitting entry.
Kerala Law Minister P. Rajeev recently stated that the government would always stand for protecting the beliefs of devotees. The remark has been widely interpreted in political circles as a possible departure from the government’s earlier progressive position backing women’s entry.
The restriction on women aged 10–50 at Sabarimala has traditionally been justified on the belief that Lord Ayyappa is a “Naishtika Brahmachari” (eternal celibate), and therefore women of menstruating age should not enter the temple.
The issue had triggered widespread unrest in the state after the Left government moved to implement the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling. The BJP and Sangh Parivar organisations staged large-scale protests, while the Congress also opposed the verdict citing the need to protect religious traditions.
In a landmark development during the height of the controversy, two women, Bindu Ammini and Kanakadurga, entered the Sabarimala shrine on 2 January 2019, under police protection.
Political analysts had widely linked the Left-front’s setback in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Kerala to public resentment over the women’s entry issue. With Assembly elections approaching, the latest signals from the TDB and statements from government quarters suggest the matter could once again become politically sensitive in the state.
Source: Deccan Herald
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