Two days after Bindu and Kanakdurga – made their way into the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple, a 46-year-old Sri Lankan woman, Sasikala, daughter of Asok Kumaran, who holds a Sri Lankan passport, climbed the 18 holy steps – Pathinettampadi and offered prayers at the Sabarimala hill shrine on late Thursday under police protection.
Sasikala, accompanied by her husband and family had used the electronic queue system devised by the police to book her darshan time in advance.
She was not stopped by anyone en-route and she was given protection, including women constables who were not in uniform.
Kerala: A 46-year-old Sri Lankan woman went and prayed inside #SabarimalaTemple. She had reportedly informed Police that she had reached menopause and also presented a medical certificate.
— ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2019
On January 2, two women of menstruating age – Bindu and Kanakdurga – entered the temple resulting in large-scale violence across the state. When news broke that the women had made it inside the temple, the Sabarimala priest shut down the complex for “purification rituals” also.
The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Sabarimala Karma Samithi (SKS), an umbrella organization of various groups on Thursday in the state, to protest against the entry of them.
Earlier, on December 24, Bindu and Kanakadurga attempted to visit the shrine for the first time but were taken back by the police due to security issues.
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