Sabarimala: The hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala opened on Monday evening for the “Makaravilakku” festival amid heavy security.
Ayyyappa devotees, who were waiting for hours in long queues, thronged the temple in numbers after the Chief Priest AK Sudheer Namboothiri opened the temple doors and performed the rituals inside the sanctum sanctorum as well as on the holy 18 steps. Head priest Kandaru Mahesh Mohanaru oversaw the various rituals.
The temple had closed on December 27 to mark the culmination of the 41-day mandala pilgrim season. The Makaravilakku will be held on January 15 and the shrine will be closed on January 21.
This year it was a peaceful pilgrimage season during the first half.
Last year the shrine had witnessed massive protests by devotees against the state government's decision to implement the Supreme Court's September 28 verdict, allowing women of all ages to offer prayers.
Traditionally, women in the menstrual age were not allowed inside the shrine.
The All India Sabarimala Action Council, an outfit spearheading the stir against allowing women of all ages to enter the shrine has said it will continue its vigil in and around the temple to ensure that religious sentiments are not hurt in any manner.
"We will continue our vigil in and around the temple premises to ensure that the pilgrims' sentiments and religious beliefs are not hurt in any manner," news agency PTI reported quoting AISAC general secretary SJR Kumar.
A five-judge Constitution bench, by a majority of 4:1, in its verdict delivered on September 28, 2018, had allowed women of all age groups to visit the temple, saying that discrimination on physiological grounds was violative of fundamental rights like the Right to Equality.
However, AISAC and others opposed any change in temple traditions and started an agitation after the Left Front government decided to implement the apex court decision.
On November 14 this year, the apex court said a larger seven-judge bench will re-examine various religious issues, including the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple.
A new batch of 1,397 police personnel took charge at Sabarimala for the Makaravilakku festival. At present 1,875 police personnel, including a quick response team and Bomb squad, are already at the temple.
(With inputs from PTI)
