Day 4 at Sabarimala temple, but women still kept at bay; heavy security in place

It's been four days since the gates of the Sabarimala temple were opened after the Supreme Court order. However, women have still not been able to pass through the wall that the protestors have formed between the female devotees and Lord Ayyappa. Massive protests have continued since Wednesday when the gates were opened for the prayers. 

Owing to the huge presence of those protesting against the SC order against the ban on the entry of women in the menstrual age in the temple, heavy security has been put in place on Saturday too. The gates of the temple which opened on Wednesday for the five-day-monthly pooja of the Malayalam month of Thulam will be shut after the prayers on 22 October. 

#Kerala: Visuals of heavy security deployed at Nilakkal #SabarimalaTemple pic.twitter.com/m9mHXRALht — ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2018

High drama was witnessed on Friday when two women reached the hilltop with a heavy police escort but were made to turn back even before they could reach the sanctum sanctorum due to protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees. As the two were returning, a 46-year-old woman also tried to trek the forest path from downhill Pamba to the temple complex five km away but had to retract.

The devotees, including senior citizens and children, chanted Ayyappa mantras and did not allow the women to enter the shrine. Tension was defused after the women agreed to return as the state government made it clear it did not want to take them to the Sannidhanam, the temple complex, by using force against the protesting devotees.

The 'tantri' (head priest) had also threatened that he would shut the doors of the temple if the women were escorted into the sanctum sanctorum. Giving in to the protests, the police advised the women to return to the base. Had they managed to enter the shrine, they would have been the first women from the menstruating age group to visit the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala after the apex court order permitting women of all age groups to enter the shrine.

Besides devotees, a group of "parikarmies", temple employees assisting priests in puja, also squatted on the holy steps and protested taking the women to the shrine complex.

As the situation appeared to be going out of control with the protesters blocking the way sitting on the floor, Inspector General S Sreejith, who led the police team escorting the women, told the protestors they were only implementing the law but there was no plan to go forward by hurting their sentiments.