Women from decent families won’t enter Sabarimala: TDB chief

Kerala Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran came down heavily on the TDB chief, saying such remarks were humiliating to women. Reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision to refer the matter to its Constitution bench, Gopalakrishnan maintained that women in the age group of 10 to 50 should not be allowed to climb the hill. 

Stating that it was a matter of security as well as tradition, he said the hill shrine could not be converted into a tourist centre. ‘’We will not allow Sabarimala to become Thailand."         

"Providing security to women devotees would be a challenging task. It is for this reason that we are restricting women in this age group. It’s nothing personal. Both safety and rituals are equally important, we need to see both together. Even if the court allows entry of women of menstruating age into Sabarimala, no self-respecting woman will go up to the hill shrine,” he added. 

However, the Minister sought an apology from the TDB chief for making such remarks. Surendran said the CPI(M)-led LDF government in the state was of the view that there should not be gender-based discrimination for entry in temples. “We will abide by the court ruling,” he added.