Indian women defy temple ban
Priest shuts down shrine after pair enter forbidden sanctum
NEW DELHI — Two women in southern India made history early Wednesday by entering a renowned Hindu temple where women of childbearing age have not been allowed for centuries.
The women — a university professor and a government employee, both in their 40s — entered the inner sanctum of the Sabarimala temple around 3:45 a.m., according to a local news agency which released video of the visit.
The shrine is dedicated to the deity Lord Ayappa, who is considered celibate, and tradition forbade women of menstruating age from entering.
Last September, however, India’s Supreme Court ruled that all women had the right to worship at Sabarimala, which sits in a tiger reserve in the state of Kerala and draws tens of millions of visitors each year.
The verdict set off intense protests by religious conservatives and Hindu nationalists. The controversy represented a crucial test for the rule of law in India, pitting a legal judgment by the nation’s top court against religious custom.
After the ruling, more than a dozen women between the ages of 10 and 50 attempted to enter the temple. But all turned back after facing threats and physical intimidation by protesters.
A backlash swiftly followed the news of the women’s entry into the shrine on Wednesday. The head priest shut down the temple for an hour to carry out a “purification ritual.” Clashes broke out between protesters and the police in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital, on Wednesday afternoon.
On January 22, the Supreme Court will hear a petition challenging its landmark ruling on the temple.