The Government of Kerala and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the temple have come out with the an age limit for women to worship at the Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple.
The Travancore Devaswom Board has launched a new website in collaboration with the Kerala Police to provide various services to Sabarimala Ayyappa devotees. The website states that ‘females and other gender pilgrims between 50 and 65 years will be eligible to book and avail virtual Q services’ thereby restricting the entry of women who are below 50 years.
Earlier, the government had announced that children below 10 years and people above 65 years will not be permitted to the temple because of Covid restrictions.
In September 2018, the Supreme Court delivered a judgement allowing women of all ages to worship at the Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple, which is open to women between the ages of 50 and 65.
Various Hindu and spiritual organizations were involved in the struggle against the Kerala government which tried to implement the Supreme Court’s order by all means while sitting on the judgement of the Malankara Church dispute. The Kerala Government had also opposed the review pleas filed against the September 28, 2018 verdict that allowed women’s entry at the temple.