Two Indian women in fertile age became the first ones who dared to enter the Hindu temple after the state of Kerala supreme court lifted a centuries-old ban on women in this sacred place. As Guardian reported, it was not immediately clear how the women on this occasion managed to avoid devotees guarding Sabarimala temple.
India’s state Kerala authorities have demonstrated the unbelievable social and religious responsibility when ordered to open Sabarimala temple for women. Over centuries, only men could enter this sacred place while any woman between 10 and 50, a fertile age, was banned to do that even with their head covered.
Kerala supreme court made that hard decision thanks to the steadily pressing from the conservative Hindu groups. On January 2nd, the video from a Kerala police made a scoop on social media– two women of certain age inside the temple with their heads covered. The Indian women showed the unbelievable and mass support to the lifting the old-fashioned ban, hundreds of thousands of women formed a 620km-long human chain across Kerala in support of the court order.
Hindu temple opens its doors to all women
A government statement issued before the event predicted five million women would participate in the protest. The “Women’s Wall” rally on Tuesday was backed by the communist government in Kerala where the court order has triggered weeks of protests.
Media reports and supporters of the initiative claimed hundreds of thousands of women formed a human chain 620km across the length of the state.
Kerala has become the venue of an angry showdown between Hindu traditionalists and supporters of September’s supreme court ruling. The supreme court is to hear challenges to its landmark ruling from 22 January.
