All facilities will be arranged in Sabarimala for women who plan to visit Sabarimala in the wake of the Supreme Court order,Devaswom Board Minister Kadakampally Surendran said Today.
Separate and expansive bathing ghats for women at Pamba, enhanced lighting facilities especially at night, special seats for women in buses and women-friendly toilets are some of the key measures.
“Toilets will be set up along Pampa-Sannidhanam pathway. In buses plying Nilakkal-Pampa route, 25 pc concession in ticket fare will be given to women. The government’s decision is to implement the Supreme Court’s order in the most decent way.
Digital booking services will be available for women.More women police officers will be deployed in Sabarimala. There will be women police officers on 18 steps, if need be. Those who reach Sannidhanam for darshan should try not to stay there for long hours after darshan,” Kadakampally instructed.
“We cannot do anything about people waiting too long in queues. When I visited the Thiruvairanikulam temple, I saw women waiting in queues for darshan for almost eight hours. So in my opinion, only those who can brave long waiting queues should make the pilgrimage,” the minister said.
The top court on Friday opened the doors of the Sabarimala temple to women of all ages in a 4-1 judgment, beating back centuries-old traditions of the temple management to deny the right to worship to women of procreating age. For decades, women between the ages of 10 and 50 were not allowed entry into the shrine as the Travancore Devaswom Board, that manages the temple, cited the ‘celibate’ nature of the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa. The verdict has created ripples in Kerala where progressive sections hailed it calling it a victory for equal rights while conservative sections among Hindus complained that important traditions and rituals were being undermined.
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