The decades-old pilgrimage practice in Sabarimala will undergo a sea change in the next fortnight with the Supreme Court permitting the entry of women to the temple.
From maintenance of law and order along the Sabarimala route to the temple premises, providing separate queues for women for darshan, separate resting places for women devotees, crowd management system to deployment of women security officials on the temple premises, a host of issues await the temple administrators.
All arrangements for receiving women devotees need to be put in place in the next 20 days as the temple would be opened for monthly rituals on the evening of October 17. The temple will remain open for five days starting October 18 for the monthly puja.
The judicial authorities involved in the management of the affairs of the hill shrine expect women devotees from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka to reach the temple first. Women from Kerala are unlikely to come to the temple in large numbers immediately, considering the social issues involved in the decision.
Going by the number of women devotees who were prevented by security personnel at Pampa earlier, women from the neighbouring States are likely to turn up at the temple immediately after the apex court verdict, an official said.
Till now, women are not allowed beyond Pampa. Women employees of the Travancore Devaswom Board and women police officers are stationed there to weed out women who may try to sneak onto the temple premises. This system will have to go and more women police officers and security personnel have to be deployed in the wake of the Supreme court order. The bathing ghats near the temple also need to be made secure for women, another official said.
The maintenance of law and order situation ranks top in the minds of management of the temple affairs. A tough task awaits them during the Mandalapuja and Makaravilakku festival when thousands of devotees converge at the temple, he said.
No scope for legislation
As the apex court considered the application of Article 14 of the Constitution, which ensured equality for all before law, in the Sabarimala case no legislation would be possible to bypass the judgment. The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) is left with no choice but to implement the Supreme Court order, said sources in the State Law Department.
Though the Supreme Court order had not touched upon the issue of law and order situation in the temple in its order, the stakeholder agencies, including the State government, TDB and police would have to evolve immediate steps to address the situation, he said.