Temple plans to comply but will appeal

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Religious Trusts Minister Kadakampally Surendran Friday hailed the Supreme Court's verdict allowing entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple as “historic”, while the shrine’s head priest called it “disappointing”.

Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A. Padmakumar has said the Board will go for a review petition after getting support from other religious heads. He, however, said the Board will initiate measures to implement the verdict in consultation with the government as it has no option but to implement the order.

Temple Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru said though the verdict was “disappointing”, the management accepted it.

“I respect the court verdict. It is very difficult to arrange special facilities for women in the present context. The board has to make arrangements,” he said.

Mr Padmakumar said the Board would study the Supreme Court judgement in detail after getting a certified copy from the court.

The further course of action would be discussed in consultation with all stake-holders, particularly the religious leaders.

Obstacles for women to trek Sabari
Trekking to the hill shrine at Sabarimala through the tough terrain would require women to overcome many practical impediments.

The temple is situated on a hilltop at an altitude of 468 m (1535 ft) above mean sea level and is surrounded by mountains and dense forests. From Pamba, the pilgrims will have to trek the three-km steep mountain path of Neeli Mala before they can start climbing the incline up the Appachimedu and reach Nadapandal.

“During the three-month pilgrimage season which starts in the middle of November, the queue often extends till Appachimedu and it would take up to 15 to 20 hours to reach Sannidhanam due to heavy rush. The main issue for the women pilgrims will be the lack of adequate sanitation facilities near the queue complex,” said a TDB official.

Another challenge will be lack of full-fledged hospital facility. Cardiac deaths in Sabarimala touched 50 in the last pilgrimage season while 59 and 41 deaths were recorded in the previous two seasons before that.

Security, too, is expected to be a worry as the police struggled to effectively control the crowd. Many anti-social elements too would try to exploit the heavy rush.