Braving all odds, women who offered prayers at Sabarimala shrine plan to move on

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The two women who offered prayers at Sree Dharmasastha Temple in Sabarimala will return to their respective homes and start work next week.

Bindu Ammini and Kanakadurga, both aged under 50, had visited the hilltop shrine, after a five-member Constitution bench of the Supreme Court ruled 4:1 in favour of allowing women of menstruating age—defined as those aged between 10 and 50—to visit the temple.


Refuting reports of threats from pro-Hindutva forces after their temple entry, Bindu and Kanakadurga said they have been staying away from home to ensure that the situation was normal.



Bindu of Kozhikode and Kanakadurga from Malappuram visited the Sabarimala temple early on January 2.

Talking to TOI over the phone from an undisclosed location, Bindu said she would resume teaching at the School of Legal Studies, Kannur University, next week.

“Two days after offering prayers at the temple, we switched on our phones and received lots of calls. There were no threats. We got an invitation to attend the Kerala Lit Fest at Kozhikode, but have decided not to attend. We don’t want to create a riot-like situation anywhere,” Bindu said.

Kanakadurga said she would return home either on Sunday or Monday. “So far, we haven’t faced any security issues,” the woman, an employee of the state civil supplies department, said.

Though the women said they would be returning to normal life, they refused to reveal their present whereabouts but said they were in the state itself.

“We are waiting for the situation to be normal. Police have assured us security, if such a need arises,” Bindu said.

Police have been providing security to the residences of Bindu and Kanakadurga. Their family members have already returned to their routine work after a police-advised short break.

Meanwhile, S P Manju, state general secretary of women-wing of Kerala Dalit Federation, who entered Sabarimala last week, returned to her house at Chattannoor.

“I rode my two-wheeler around in the area till the news of my temple entry broke out. Now, there is police security at my house. I won’t be sitting inside the house fearing an attack. The protesters damaged all properties last time after I had attempted to enter the temple. This time I have informed all leaders that I will come wherever they want and they should never touch my belongings,” she said.