Only 2 women of menstrual age visited Sabarimala: Kerala minister tells Assembly
Thiruvananthapuram: Days after courting controversy over a list of 51 women who had entered the Sabarimala temple, the Kerala government Monday said only two women of menstrual age had visited the shrine after a Supreme Court's judgement removed the bar on their entry.
In a written reply in the state assembly, the government also said the visit of a Sri Lankan woman in early January was yet to be confirmed.
Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, in response to an unstarred question, said two women had offered prayers at the Lord Ayyappa shrine according to the report of the temple executive officer.
He also said they were awaiting confirmation on whether Sasikala, the 47-year-old Sri Lankan woman whose visit was earlier confirmed by sources in the Chief Minister's Office and police, visited the hill shrine.
Surendran was replying to a question by opposition Congress legislators on how many women in the age group of 10-50 years had offered prayers at the temple after the September 28 apex court verdict.
The CPI(M)-led state government had filed an affidavit in the apex court on January 18, saying 51 young women had entered the temple during the recently concluded annual pilgrim season.
However, controversy erupted later as some women who were named in the list were above 50 years of age. Names of at least two men had also crept into the list.
In response to another question, Surendran said the authority to take a decision on matters related to the shrine's customs and traditions was not entrusted with the temple's 'tantri' (head priest) alone.
According to the Devaswom Manual, if any violation of traditional customs occurs, it is for the officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to hold talks with the head priest and take a final decision on atonement rituals, he added.
Last month, the head priest, Kandaru Rajeevaru, had closed the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine to perform a 'purification' ceremony after two women offered worship at the temple.
The TDB, the apex temple body in Kerala, has sought an explanation from him.
The annual pilgrimage season witnessed widespread protests from frenzied devotees and right-wing groups over the LDF government's decision to implement the Supreme Court's verdict, allowing women of all ages to enter the hilltop shrine.
During the season, over two dozen women devotees, some of whom were branded as activists, unsuccessfully attempted to trek the hill.
However, on January 2, two women, Kanakadurga (44) and Bindhu (42), offered prayers at the shrine, breaking a centuries-old tradition.
Before the Supreme Court's verdict, women in the age group of 10 to 50 years were not allowed to enter the temple as the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is a "Naishtika Brahmachari" (perennial celibate).
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
