Until very recently, it was against the law for women between the ages of 10 and 50 to enter The Sabarimala temple, due to its dedication to the Lord Ayyappa. Followers of the religion believe that this lord is celibate, and so by women of a “fertile age” entering the temple, they are tempting him and disrupting worship. On September 28, 2018, India’s Supreme Court ruled that women should, in fact, be allowed to enter the temple. Justices stated that the restriction simply came down to gender discrimination and that the temple must begin allowing women of all ages entry when requested. However, there was much disturbance among the Hindu community because they still believed that the entry of women between these ages would disturb the gods and disrupt worship. Two women, Bindu Ammini and Kanaka Durga defied mobs outside of the temple and entered, receiving harsh backlash from even their families. Durga’s family refused to let her return home after the incident, feeling she had disgraced them, and both women went into hiding under protection of the government. When Durga finally di return home, her mother-in-law supposedly beat her with a stick and caused severe head injury. She [Durga] is now filing a lawsuit against her mother-in-law and continues to combat harassment. The lift of the ban was a huge political win for the feminist movement within India, however, there is still a far way to go socially.
