One of the two women who entered Sabarimala shrine thrown out by family
The in-laws of one of the two women, who became the first in menstruating age to offer prayers in centuries at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district refused to let her enter their house. The woman was later sent to a government-run shelter home on Tuesday, media reports said.
According to the in-laws of Kanakadurga, a mother of two, she had not told them about her plan to trek to the temple.
She had left home in Areekkode of Malappuram district on December 22, saying she wanted to attend a meeting in the state capital.
Thirty-nine-year-old Kanakadurga and 40-year-old Bindu Ammini had tried to enter the temple on December 24.
The two women were however, forced to return following protests by devotees. They were under police protection thereafter and finally made it to the temple on January 2.
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Kanakadurga was allegedly attacked by her mother-in-law on her returning to her home on January 15, following which she was admitted to a hospital.
Her mother-in-law was also admitted to a hospital in Malappuram after she complained she was manhandled by Kanakadurga.
Though police and district officials tried their best to convince her family, they refused to budge saying she will be taken back only after tendering a public apology to devotees and the Hindu community.
Bindu, the second woman to enter the shrine, said she did not face any such problem because her husband and her daughter had immensely supported her.
Traditionally, women of menstruating age or in the age group of 10 to 50 years were not allowed to enter the temple as the deity, Lord Ayyappa, was in the form of "Naishtika brahmachari" (perennial celibate).
The temple witnessed the first round of protests during the monthly 'Thulamasa' pooja when it was opened for five days in October.
Several mediapersons and women devotees of traditionally accepted age were injured in the protests which were spearheaded by the BJP-RSS led groups.
Later, when the temple was opened for the annual pilgrimage season on November 17, the situation at Sannidhanam (temple complex), which is around 3.5 kilometre uphill from Pamba, was calm but the state witnessed frenzied protests from the right-wing groups under the aegis of "Sabarimala Karma Samiti."
