SABARIMALA: The Supreme Court’s landmark order allowing entry of women of all ages to the Lord Ayyappa temple here has evoked widespread disappointment and anguish among the important stakeholders, including the thantri, the Pandalam Kottaram Nirvahaka Samithi and the Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangham.
Sabarimala thantri Thazhamon Madom Kandararu Rajivaru termed the order as unfortunate and against the ongoing customs and practices of the temple. While accepting the order, he said the verdict would hurt the sentiments of crores of pilgrims who offer worship. Welcoming the verdict, Travancore Devaswom Board president Padmakumar said a decision would be taken after the board meeting on October 3.
While the TDB made a presentation at the Supreme Court sticking to the continuance of the ongoing practices of restrictions on the entry of women in the age group of 10 and 50 years, he said the future course of action would be taken after holding detailed discussions with the government.
The Pandalam Kottaram Nirvahaka Samithi said the verdict would be against the ongoing practices of the temple, samithi patron P Ramavarma Raja said. ‘’Each and every temple has its own ongoing practices and protection and preservation of the practices will be needed in the larger interests of the devotees,’’ he said. “The continuance of centuries-old practice will be an integral part of the very existence of the temple,” he said. The opinion of a cross-section of devotees would be taken into consideration before the pronouncement of the verdict, Raja said.
The samithi would seek the opinion of the organisations in the service of Sabarimala pilgrims, the thantri and other stakeholders to chart the future course for the protection of the sentiments of the devotees and the temple, Raja said. He expressed the hope the verdict would face the same fate of the flyover at Sannidhanam and the ‘bhasmakulam’ which was found wrong and relocated at the ‘devaprashnam’ held at Sabarimala recently, he said.
The Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangham (ABASS) termed the verdict as ‘hurting.’ ABASS general secretary Velayudhan Nair said the order would have far-reaching consequences on the sentiments of the devotees.
Discussions would be held with the thantri, the Pandalam Palace Coordination Committee and religious scholars on the future course of action, he said. A decision on a review petition in the Supreme Court would be taken after detailed discussions with other stakeholders, Nair said.