It has been three days since the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple reopened for its annual 10-day celebration of Uthram mahotsavam, but the road from Vadasserikkara to Pampa — usually bustling with devotees — wears a deserted look. Though the government had relaxed Covid curbs allowed 10,000 people to visit the temple in a day, the number of devotees who arrive at the temple every day remains fewer than 1,000 — a majority of them from other states.
“People need to get an RT-PCR test spending Rs 1,750 to enter the temple, which deters many from visiting,” says Anoop, owner of the Sree Sabari Hotel at Madamon near Vadasserikkara. “But political parties can conduct huge rallies without following any Covid protocol,” he adds, irked.
As we drive through the winding roads from Vadasserikkara to Nilakkal through numerous plantations and the Periyar Tiger Reserve, it’s hard to miss the struggles and worries of the locals. Hundreds of hotels, which once catered to lakhs of devotees during the pilgrimage season, have been shut down.
“Till 2017, the temple was the backbone of our economy. But after the women’s entry protests and the Covid lockdown, our lives have taken a turn for the worse. We used to earn enough money to survive for a year during the two months of pilgrimage season. But now, we have suddenly been reduced to penury. Hotel owners and workers, farmers, taxi drivers and even workshops have been affected,” says Kannan, a pickup van driver from Madathum Moozhi.
It has been more than two years since the Supreme Court overturned the ban on women of menstruating age from entering the shrine, sparking violent protests. The issue still continues to dominate the political discourse here.“Parties including the BJP was using Sabarimala for their vested interests. The protests were launched by devotees,” points out Ranni native Prasad Kuzhikala, who was instrumental in organising the prayer rally at Pandalam on October 2. The protest was organised by the Temple Practices Protection Committee formed by Pandalam royal family in coordination with Nair Service Society (NSS).
As the Chithira festival approached, the Sabarimala Karma Samithi had got information that the government had decided to help women enter the temple. “We mobilised around 2,000 workers and stayed in the forest for three days and four nights. BJP leaders K Surendran and V V Rajesh came to the temple with us through a secret forest route. It was the tribal people who showed us the way,” remembers Vinod, an RSS functionary.
Santhosh, a resident of Naranamthodu, says he can never forget those days. “They beat up elderly women who were conducting a prayer protest and escorted women to the temple to break tradition,” he says.“There was an unprecedented unity in the prayer rally we organised from the Chengannur NSS union office to the Mahadeva temple. Members of SNDP Yogam, Christians and Muslims also participated,” says NSS Lakkassery Karayogam chief Sasi S Pillai.
According to auto driver Suresh, community equations will decide the winner in Chengannur. “It is definitely a three-cornered fight. But in my opinion, CPM’s Saji Cheriyan has the edge,” he says. In Pandalam, where the BJP won the municipality in the recent local body polls, the party has high hopes. “It was here that the seeds of protests were sown. While we expected up to 5,000 people, around 60,000 turned up voluntarily for the prayer rally. The entire town was chock a block,” says Pritvipal, convener of Temple Practices Protection Committee.
The arrival of K Surendran has made the contest unpredictable in Konni, where the Sabarimala issue had helped BJP make inroads. “Though the Ezhava community has traditionally been CPM supporters, there has been a shift after the Sabarimala protest. Congress candidate Robin Peter has the advantage of Christian support,” opines Sreenath, an auto driver at Eliyarackal in Konni.
In Ranni, the denial of ticket to five-time MLA Raju Abraham and the move to hand over the seat to Kerala Congress (M) have disappointed the CPM cadre. With this, the Congress has sensed a chance for its candidate Ringoo Cherian. In Aranmula, the contest is between CPM’s Veena George and Congress’ Sivadasan Nair. The fight is rather unpredictable, because both have significant influence in the segment.