Kerala withdraws its directive on pilgrimage

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The two-month-long annual pilgrimage to the Sabarimala hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa Swamy in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district began on Thursday amid mild protests by some Hindu outfits over a police handbook that prescribed women of all ages can be allowed to the shrine.

Later, the state government withdrew the handbook after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised a hue and cry over a reference in the book that all pilgrims can enter the temple.

Soon after the controversy erupted, state temple affairs minister K Radhakrishnan, who is currently camping at Sabarimala, said that a new book will be issued after necessary corrections. “This was printed long back and we will go by the tradition of the temple that women in certain age-group will only be allowed,” he said. “There is no room for any controversy now.”

BJP state president K Surendran said: “The book was issued deliberately by the LDF government to create confusion among pilgrims”.“if the decision (of the government) is to turn Sabarimala into a war zone again and to target believers, we haven’t forgotten anything from the past,” he told reporters. “If you are coming up again with such moves, it will have far reaching consequences.”

The sanctum sanctorum opened at 4 am, and the temple witnessed huge rush on the opening day. The Mandala season lasts for 41 days and the temple will reopen on December 30 for the Makara Vilakku event that will conclude on January 14.