Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 4: Women visiting the famed Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala in Kerala will have to produce an authentic age proof document. Notably, the entry of female devotees in the age group of 10-50 years is banned in the temple. The decision has been taken in the wake of the ongoing pilgrim season in view of the increasing instances of women devotees trying to trek to the hillock shrine defying the restrictions.
The final leg of the three-month-long annual pilgrim season will end on January 14, with the Makaravilakku festival.
Women in the menstruating age group are restricted from offering prayers at Sabarimala because the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa is considered to be a ‘naishtika brahmachari’ (perennial celibate).
Any authentic document or certificate including Aadhaar card is acceptable during the routine checks at the foothills of Sabarimala temple.
Women police personnel and the female staff of TDB jointly carry out checks at Pampa, the foothills from where the devotees begin their trek to the hillock shrine.
A petition challenging the temple’s custom restricting entry of women in the age group of 10-50 is pending before the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court.