Sabarimala: When Fable Disables Reason

by Prof Ujjwal K Chowdhury

Two big women-focused news items of the last one week have been (a) women journalists taking cudgels against many sexual predators, and forcing one of the known offenders MJ Akbar to resign from the ministry of the government of India; and (b) the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages to pray at Sabarimala temple in the hills of Kerala, but being prevented by traditionalists, misguided youth and political elements in ground zero from praying.

A lady journalist on the first day and two other women, including a journalist and a devotee, were forced to return from the shrine in spite of full security, due to the warlike situation on ground. Thus, one news rejoiced the collective power of the women and the other belittled progress made by women through judiciary to claim their rights.

The Liberal Argument

As the news about the Sabarimala temple entry violence against women disciples and women journalists kept trickling in over the last 3 days, my social media post reads:

When the Supreme Court has given a verdict against Triple Talaq and for removing obstacles against the final Ayodhya decision, the Sangh Parivar groups were ecstatic. Now the same Court has opined in favour of all women, of all ages, to be allowed to pray at Sabarimala Temple. So why are the Sanghi groups with knives drawn on the streets, and beating up every woman on the road to the temple who is below 50 years of age? Selective ecstasy and rage is a trait of a fascist mind which brooks no diversity of opinion. The governments, Central and State, must allow court decision to be executed. This is not about politics, but about women’s rights and Court decision.

The Counter-Argument

Interestingly, in response to this post, a lady replies through a series of comments that gives the world-view of those who are convinced that the status quo should be mentioned in Sabarimala:

“When majority of women in Kerala do not want to go to Sabarimala because of our belief, then why this judgement? There was no injustice or inequality happening here. Lord Ayyappa is not just confined to Sabarimala, the deity is there in many temples across Kerala and other states, no restrictions are being put there. There is a certain belief attached to Sabarimala which is about the Lord being a celibate and should not meet any woman in the fertility age-group. It’s very simple to understand that it’s a political move, the women who are desperate to go there are CPIM led, and CPI (Marxist) is incompatible with religious faith.”

In response to my comment questioning the misconceived menstrual impurity and reminding the past progressive steps against Sati and in favour of widow remarriage, which also had beliefs attached on so-called religious grounds, etc, she further writes,

“Who said it’s because of menstruation? In Sati or widow remarriage issue, it was injustice towards women or inequality, where men were not required to do the same what women were asked to. But here the case is quite different. In Hinduism, temple is an adobe of deity and not just a prayer hall. One should follow the deity’s principles inside any temple. In Sannidhanam, the deity here is Lord Ayyappa who has chosen to be a celibate and doesn’t wish to see fertile ladies inside Sannidhanam.

As every temple’s rituals are different across all over the world, Sabarimala also has its own identity. There were many violations of this ritual of entrance of fertile ladies and a Shudhikalasham was done each and every time which is a hectic task for the tantriks and temple which costs a huge money also.

A case was filed for these violations. Justice Paripoornan who was assigned, had asked the temple authorities how to allocate a restriction where physical appearances can only be the viable way to determine if a lady is old or young. To avoid such clashes, a lower judicial decision ordered restriction of ladies from 10-50 age-group, and not by the temple authorities. Now-a-days, children below 10 and ladies above 50 may also be fertile, but as it is the principled practice of the deity in Sannidhanam these age-groups can travel only till Pamba which is the base camp.

“A case was filed by Young Lawyers Association on 2006 demanding temple should be opened to all, and was backed by the atheist LDF government then by filing affidavit saying Government is ready. This decision was chosen without asking the temple authorities (Thantri), as Sabarimala is now owned by the Government ruled Devaswam Board which has taken over from HH Chithiruthirunal Balarama Varma’s rule after Independence.

The then atheist Govt took decision at their own will without consulting temple or devotees. This was changed after the next UDF govt came to power, proclaiming that the women’s entrance should be banned considering the religious unity and harmony in the state. This decision was toppled down again by the next LDF govt, by dethroning the then Devaswom Board President Perayar Gopalakrishnan by forcefully reducing the tenure period as President. An affidavit was again filed that both Devaswom and government are backing women’s entrance whereas lakhs of devotees were protesting.

“The case for restricting women is backed by BJP and RSS at the centre. But the LDF government is now gearing up for women’s entrance at Sabarimala. The CM could have even asked for a time-period as the temple and its premises are in short of resources due to the recent flooding. Sabarimala is unique as it is an epitome of religious harmony and where male devotees from other religions also come and pray, and some also visit Vavar Mosque in Erumeli nearby. Every male devotee visits  Ayyappan and female devotees visit Malikapuram”.

Another erudite Malayalee journalist friend wrote, ” There is no case of women discrimination there, as women of certain age are allowed entry. In this temple all human beings, irrespective religions, are allowed. Why women of certain age are not allowed is because of the nature of the deity. He is said to be celibate and so wanted to be away from women of reproductive age. There is no issue of impurity as some people say. Can the SC say that all people irrespective of religion should be allowed in all places of worship? The Sabarimala issue is just politics, by the right as well as the left. This is just to deepen polarisation.”

Equality in Faith & in Law: Both Violated

The fundamental premise of the believers is that a lady in fertile age-group should not be visiting Ayappa! This fertility obviously is connected to menstruation and that is discriminating against women based on their menstruating age. The root cause is the shuddhikaran, because the deity is in celibate form.

Both the deity, his form, and the shuddhikaran are fables, just as women’s honour protection through sati once was. Any religion, whether it’s Parsis not letting marriage outside their community, despite being one of the most progressive communities, or the Triple Talaq practice of Muslims, and this specific issue, are fables used by a historically patriarchal society to decimate certain social classes and genders.

Those who hold these customs so dearly to their heart need to answer if the Lord is so nubile and weak that a ‘fertile’ woman coming close to pray shall make him lose his celibacy or piety? And, when we discriminate a disciple based on gender or age, how is it that God is the same for all? And if some custom or tantrik belief has been in vogue for long, like similar irrational beliefs in every religion, how does it make it infallible and not ever changeable?

Such centuries old infallibility of beliefs will then make human progress, law and judiciary, movements of equality and sciences etc meaningless and futile. That is exactly the reason that Sati burning with dead husband or ban on widow remarriage have been banished on grounds of ill-founded beliefs, discriminatory and anti human nature of these.

When Muslim community bans women from entering mosques or certain Dargahs, Christian power-structures are often seen tolerant towards rape and molestation accused priests and Bishops, Hindu Shani temple prevents women from offering prayers, the same logic of discrimination or violation of modern equality and human rights in the eyes of law must be noted and these protested equally. However, a non-believer can always be prevented from visiting a place of worship. The younger women who want to pray (not just the three women noted here) are disciples.

Yes, it is a political game now, but that is more of the Sangh Parivar and its political front, BJP, which wants to set a strong footing in Kerala by being seen to uphold a centuries old discriminatory belief. The Left Front is rather on the back foot, is bearing the brunt of law and order disquiet close on the heels of its commendable role in flood relief. Congress sits confused if not in favour of violent protests against the verdict like the Sangh Parivar, both being on soft and hard ends of Hindutva in Kerala on this issue.

And beyond this debate, the incidents of stone-pelting, breaking and burning vehicles, beating journalists, threatening women with violation etc as seen in ground zero at Sabarimala over the last three days, all in the name of religion and faith, are these anything less than terror tactics? Even when a quarter of these are done in Kashmir, albeit wrongly, the protesters get pellet bullets and at times real ones. Here, the administration is forced to meekly accept the situation as fait accompli and return with the women without praying.

Just to remind all: President Barack Obama had sent the army to ensure the admission of a black student in an all white school of USA when the child was denied admission due to tradition.

(The author is currently the Dean of Media, Pearl Academy, Delhi & Mumbai, and former Dean of Symbiosis and Amity Universities, and is a regular commentator on current affairs.)