Click to play videoThiruvananthapuram (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.
Jaimala insists that she did not know then that what she was doing was wrong and that she had touched the feet of the idol because that was how they prayed at home.
She added that she had later realised what she had done amounted to sin and had thus faxed an apology to the concerned authorities.
Reports say that the corrective ritual, to restore the sanctity of the temple and bring back the powers of the Lord Ayyappa, may take as much as two years to complete.
According to the Travancore Devaswom Board authorities, the cleansing rituals are important because it's a matter of faith for the lakhs of people who visit the temple.
Though the issue is going to be a sensitive one, it's going to be difficult for the state government to come to a conclusion because the incident took place in 1987.
The devotees, some of them who visit the temple on the first of every month, are extremely disturbed by the incident. They are utterly disappointed.
Before devotees go to the temple, they undergo staunch penance for 41 days and their belief is that no woman can come into the temple.
Controversy surrounding women's entry to Sabirimala is not new.
A few years ago, actress Sudha Chandran had performed a dance programme below the 18 holy steps of the temple leading a hue and cry.
After the dance performace, the Kerala High Court asked the Travancore Devaswom to disallow women from climbing the hill to the shrine.
Temple Security |
 At the base of the hill are police officers who don't allow any woman to climb the hill. |
| The next rung of security is provided by the temple guards. |
| The third run is the devotees themselves who would stop any woman from defiling their lord. |
| The last rung of the security are the priests. |
| The central santorium itself is 10 feet long so even if you fall at its base you cannot reach the idol. |
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