Author: Joshua Berlinger / Source: CNN
New Delhi (CNN)Two women in the southern Indian state of Kerala made history Wednesday, defying religious conservatives to enter the Sabarimala Temple, one of Hinduism’s holiest sites.
The pair, aged 42 and 44, became the first women to access the shrine after the country’s Supreme Court overturned a centuries-old ban on women aged 10 to 50 from entering the temple in September last year, ruling it to be discriminatory and arguing that women should be able to pray at the place of their choice.
The two women made the long, uphill trek to the famous golden-roofed temple accompanied by plainclothes police officers, arriving at the site at approximately 3:45 a.m. Wednesday, Kerala police told CNN.
The temple was later closed for one hour to allow priests time to purify the site following the visit by the women. The Sabarimala shrine, which is thought to be more than 800 years old, is considered the spiritual home of Lord Ayyappa, a Hindu god of growth. Proponents of the ban on women of menstrual age argue that since Ayappa is considered celibate, allowing “impure” women into the temple would be disrespectful.
For months, the area around the temple complex has been the scene of angry clashes, as protesters attempt to prevent the court’s decision from being enacted.
Police clamped down after the ruling, deploying a 1,300-strong contingent of officers to ensure the safety of any women wishing to visit the temple, but the force appeared insufficient in the face of overwhelming hostility from thousands of Hindu traditionalists.
On Tuesday, female protestors, reported to be in the millions, came out in support of women being allowed to enter the temple.
Dubbed the “women’s wall,” the protesters formed a human…
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