THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tens of thousands of devotees lined up from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday evening seeking protection of traditional customs at Sabarimala, after the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages entry into the Lord Ayyappa temple led to confusion and protest for the last three months.
The devotees, mostly women, stood on the state’s arterial highways holding the traditional “elluthiri” lamp in their palms for half an hour starting from 6 pm. Sabarimala Karma Samithi coordinated the event in association with the BJP, RSS and community organisations like the Nair Service Society.
The human wall started from Hosangadi in the north and extended up to Kalayikkavila in the south. The programme was also held in the Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu.O Rajagopal MLA and BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai led the programme in front of the Secretariat. BJP state general secretary Sobha Surendran, who is on an indefinite fast in front of the Secretariat on the Sabarimala issue, also joined the line.