Two women, belonging to the age group of 10-50 years, entered the Ayyapa Temple premises at Sabarimala early in the morning on Wednesday, police sources confirmed.
This is the first time that women in this age group have managed to enter the temple following a Supreme Court verdict which allowed the same.
According to reports, the two young women have been identified as Bindu from Kozhikode and Kanakadurga from Malappuram.
Video footage shows them entering the temple premises through the staff gate on the northern side at 3.48 a.m. and moving out through the seemingly empty barricade in front of the temple sopanam at 3.50 a.m. Policemen in mufti escorted them.
The duo had made an attempt to visit Sabarimala during the recently-concluded Mandalam pilgrim season. However, the police forces had to forcibly take them back to Pampa following stiff resistance from the devotees as well as Sangh Parivaar workers.
Temple shut
Meanwhile, the temple chief priest or tantri, Kandararu Rajeevararu, said that the sanctum sanctorum was closed at 10: 35 a.m. for performing the ‘purification rites.’
‘Being the chief priest, I am duty-bound to follow the ritualistic practices at Sabarimala,” he said.
