January 02, 2018:
On Wednesday, two women under the age of 50 created history by entering the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
The women Bindu (42), a CPI (ML) activist from Kozhikode district & Kanakadurga (44), said to be a civil supplies employee from Malappuram - entered the shrine early on Jan 2, as per reports.
According to reports, the women claimed to have started their climb to the shrine around midnight and reached the temple at 3.45 am.
A video of their visit to the temple has also been released. In the video, the women, clad in black top-to-toe clothing were seen entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
They were accompanied by police officers in civil dress and some in uniform.
The two women had previously, in Dec 2018, attempted to enter to the shrine. They were however forced to return due to protests.
Kerala has been witnessed protests by devotees opposing the Sept 28, 2018 order by Supreme Court of India (SC) that allowed the entry of girls and women in the 10-50 age group into the shrine.
Traditionally, women in the menstruating age group were barred from offering prayers at the shrine, the presiding deity of which is "Naishtika Brahamachari" (perennial celibate).
More than a dozen women had made unsuccessful attempts to trek the hill and offer prayers at the Sabarimala shrine during the Mandalam season.
The two women entered the temple a day after more than 35 lakh women stood shoulder-to-shoulder across the national highways in Kerala, creating a 620 km-long human 'wall' from the northern end of Kasaragod to the southern tip as part of a state-sponsored initiative to uphold gender equality.
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