Mission Women Entering Sabarimala Temple

           After many fights by women rights group resulting in women being finally allowed to enter Shani Shignapur Temple in April 2016 followed by women being allowed to finally enter Haji Ali Dargah, the next mission is of women of menstruating age group of 10-50 years being allowed to enter Sabarimala Temple situated in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. At Sabarimala, the deity is worshiped as Ayyappan and as Dharmasasta. The shrine of Sabarimala is an ancient temple.  The Supreme Court on Friday referred to a five-judge Constitution bench regarding the ban on the entry of women at Kerala’s Sabarimala temple.

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court by the Indian Young Lawyers Association challenging the custom of the temple to prohibit entry of menstruating women in the 10-50 age group calling it as discriminatory and violation of women’s rights. The fate of women entering Sabarinala Temple will be decided by this five-judge Constitution bench.

It is a good initiative by the Indian Young Lawyers Association with several women rights group supporting the cause but there are already someone against this cause. Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president Prayar Gopalakrishnan created a controversy by saying that no “self-respecting” woman born in a “decent” family would enter the Sabarimala Temple even if the Supreme Court lifted the ban.  “We will not allow Sabarimala to become Thailand,” he said on Friday, hinting that if women are allowed to enter, Sabarimala will become a tourist centre. “Even if the court allows entry of women of menstruating age into Sabarimala, no self-respecting woman will go up to the hill shrine,” he added. The hill shrine in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district is managed by the TDB, which has restricted the entry of menstruating women of 10-50 years age group. Gopalakrishnan said that it that was a matter of security as well as tradition. “What will be the situation if women between the ages of 10 to 50 have to climb uphill under challenging weather conditions without any safety?” he asked. “If women are allowed to enter the shrine, women police will also have to be deputed for security. This will lead to a lot of issues, including immoral activities,” he added. How can he compare a temple to a tourist place of Thailand? How can he say that women being allowed in temple will cause immoral activities?

Kerala Minister for Devaswom and Tourism Kadakampally Surendran contradicted what the TDB chief by saying that he had insulted the women community and Ayyappa devotees with such a comparison. He wanted the TDB president to tender an apology for his remark. This comes as a relief that if someone is speaking against rights of women then someone else is speaking for the rights of women. The foot in the mouth statement by the TDB President adds to the list of other foot in the mouth statements by several political and religious leaders in the past. Don’t know what these people of public figure thinks before saying such statements?

Why menstruating women entering Sabarimala Temple is such a big issue? Why menstruation is termed as dirty and impure in this day and age? Menstruation is a natural process in woman which indicates her becoming of a woman. The world will end if menstruation in women would not exist. Then why this same reason is becoming the hurdle between women entering Sabarimala Temple? The patriarchy existing in India is one of the main reasons of women being banned to enter the temple due to menstruation which is seen as if it’s a big disease. It is such a shame to insult a natural process occurring in women. It is a sad reality that menstruation is still a taboo in India where women talk in whispers and code words regarding their menstrual cycle. They feel shame to talk about it in presence of men. Girls from their childhood as soon as they get their periods are conditioned by their mother, sister and other female relatives to not tell about their menstrual cycle to any boy and man. Women are shy to ask for sanitary pads in the shop if a man is present there. Why are women are shamed into not disclosing such an important fact about their own body? We can only wish that this mission is successful with women winning their right to enter Sabarimala Temple after winning their rights to enter Shani Shignapur Temple and Haji Ali Temple. If women are allowed to enter Sabarimala Temple then it will be third back to back victory after Shani Shignapur Temple and Haji Ali Dargah victories.