THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Women who are aware of the customs at Sabarimala temple are not likely to make the pilgrimage to the hill shrine, said Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar on Sunday. He was speaking to reporters after meeting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to Padmakumar, “dialectical materialism” cannot be allowed inside the temple.Padmakumar informed that the TDB will discuss whether to file a review petition against Friday’s Supreme Court verdict or not on Wednesday.Over Monday and Tuesday, the TDB will also discuss the Supreme Court verdict and its implications with the Pandalam royal family members and the temple priests, he said.
“We don’t expect any excess rush of women at Sabarimala. We feel that devotees will adhere to the customs and traditions of the temple. A few people may come, encouraged by the verdict,” Padmakumar said, adding that the women of his household who are devotees will not be making the pilgrimage.The SC verdict is expected to trigger a 40 per cent increase in pilgrims, but it will be difficult to provide additional facilities for women this year other than toilets, said Padmakumar.
The Chief Minister has taken a favourable stance to the TDB request for 100 more acres at Nilakkal to provide additional facilities for pilgrims, said Padmakumar.On Friday, the Supreme Court pronounced a landmark verdict, allowing women of all ages to visit the shrine.While four judges, including Chief Justice Dipak Misra, favoured the entry of women, Justice Indu Malhotra wrote a dissenting judgment.