Sabarimala: Stairway to heaven or to women's empowerment?

The Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala is now open for the two-month-long Mandala pilgrimage. In the context where The Supreme Court of India deferred the verdict on the Sabarimala issue of entry of women of all age groups to offer prayers at the shrine, it is apt to look into the intricacies of the entry restriction that is imposed on the of women of specific age group.

Every set of beliefs are human made and our traditions come from a set of beliefs. The tradition of Sabarimala prohibits women of age group 10–50 inside the temple. This custom of Sabarimala temple has been prevalent since the inception, which is admitted for the past several centuries. Though these are prescriptions, there are other dimensions to be understood that has nothing do with gender inequality or exploitation or discrimination.

Hinduism is a religion or a way of life that has always worshipped the Supreme through a multitude of gods and goddesses rather than a monolithic and a presumed male identity. The Hindu traditions and customs place women in the forefront and for women, these rituals are a great source of pride and empowerment, giving a sense of control and command over the happenings of their lives. The current emphasis on gender equality and rational thinking is not appropriate to the question of why women of age group 10–50 are not allowed inside the Sabarimala temple. There are temples in India which do not allow Men to enter either on all days or during special occasions.

The entry of women of age group 10–50 inside the Sabarimala temple is limited with the view to preserve the character, Naishtika Brahmachari (Perpetual celibate) of the deity. The usage and practice is primary to preserve the sacred form and character of the deity. There are many other temples dedicated to the worship of Lord Ayyappa, where the deity is not in the form of a ‘Naishtika Brahmachari’. In those temples, the mode and manner of worship differs from Sabarimala Temple, since the deity has manifested himself in a different form. Except Sabarimala, there is no similar restriction on the entry of women in the other Temples of Lord Ayyappa, where women of all ages can worship the deity. It is believed and practiced that young women should not offer worship in the Sabarimala temple so that even the slightest deviation from celibacy and austerity observed by the deity is not caused. In Srimad Ayyappa Bhagavatham, one of the major scriptures in Malayalam about Lord Ayyappa, it is mentioned that Lord himself undertook the 41-day Vratham or austerity before he went to Sabarimala temple.

The whole process of the pilgrimage observing a 41-day Vratham before embarking on the temple pilgrimage is to replicate the journey of Lord Ayyappa. Women in the mentioned age group will not able to take the 41-day Vratham, owing to the physiological reasons. It is also a practice that the Sabarimala Temple is open to every devotee who can take the 41-day vow of celibacy and discipline, irrespective of faith, the deep devotion they profess to the deity.

Sabarimala temple is located in the middle of the forest and women during the period of physiological attention, that is again specifically attributable to women of the prescribed age category would have difficultly to trek mountainous terrain in the dense forest that too for several days. One could argue that women have even conquered most of the things or more than what men could do. But people who understood uniqueness behind Sabarimala pilgrimage holistically would prefer to stick to their beliefs that are followed as a practice, as this subject cannot be thought from only one dimension.

The matter of entry to a temple is only for the certain age of women, not women as a class due to the above three reasons. This practice belongs to a completely different domain of spiritual science. Sabarimala is a unique pilgrimage. It is not a question of blind faith of a society or making women inferior. In my view, the restrictions kept for women in Sabarimala need to be understood in the right context.

The writer – Maidhily Varrier is a teacher of Hindu religious scriptures. She is an Engineer by profession. She has co-authored “Prabodh”- an introductory book for Children to understand the basic concepts of Hinduism. She is also the daughter of Sri. Thrayakshara Chaithanya, author of Srimad Ayyappa Bhagavatham