Kannada diva sullies bachelor God

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Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): Authorities at the Sabarimala temple - one of India's most prestigious pilgrimage sites - are preparing to conduct a 'corrective ritual' to restore the sanctity of the temple.

This, after Kannada actor-turned-producer Jaimala claimed to have entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and touched the feet of the idol of Lord Ayyappa, 19 years ago.

Her claims were made in a letter to the chief astrologer of the temple.

Jaimala's confessions come after a group of astrologers claimed that in the last 18 years, a woman's touch had spoilt the sanctity of the temple.

If the claim is true then it amounts to sacrilege according to the rules governing Sabarimala.

According to mythology, Lord Ayyappa is a bachelor, who wowed to remain so till no new devotee comes for his drashan every year. That's why the entry of young women into the temple is considered a sacrilege.

In 1991 there was a High Court ruling saying women between the ages of 10 and 55 would not be allowed within the temple to maintain its sanctity.

If any woman enters the temple it amounts to defiling the idol.

Though Jaimala claims she was pushed into the sanctum-sactorum by the crowd, it's unclear how she could do so without the help of the Thantri (head priest) at Sabarimala Temple, Brahmasri Kantaru Maheswararu.

The Thantri though, is visibly very disturbed and has refuted all allegations.

He swears by the Lord Ayyapa that to the best of his knowledge, it was not possible that any woman could enter the temple.

"It's not possible that a woman can enter the santum sanctorum amidst such heavy security. And I am not lying," he said.

Also, Jaimala's claims that she fell down on the idol after being pushed by the crowd seem very unlikely, because there is a distance of 21 feet between where the idol is and where the crowd stands.

Both the Thantri and the Travancore Devaswom Board are utterly baffled by her claim and the government of Kerala is going in for a judicial probe into the matter.

"Nobody stopped me. If they had then I would have stayed in the compound only. Why should I go inside if someone tells me to stop? The crowd pushed me, there were so many people along with me. I fell down to in the sanctum and I just caught hold of the God's feet. It was so beautiful," says Jaimala.