The Thantri Samaj and various Hindu organizations have intensified their demand that all cases related to the entry of young women into Sabarimala be withdrawn before the Global Ayyappa Sangam. Leaders of the Nair Service Society (NSS) and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) reiterated that they had extended support on the basis of an assurance that ritual protection cases would be withdrawn prior to the Sangam. This development has further strengthened the collective demand from Hindu organizations.
Several prominent groups, including the Pandalam Palace, Thantri Samajam, Yogakshema Sabha, Ayyappa Seva Sangham, and Ayyappa Seva Samajam, have also come forward with the same demand. Former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan stated that the government’s refusal to withdraw the cases concerning women’s entry before the Sangam amounted to an injustice to the Hindu community.
Echoing this sentiment, Yogakshema Sabha state president Akkeeramon Kalidasan Bhattathiripad urged the government to withdraw the cases and demonstrate fairness. Similarly, Akhil Bharat Ayyappa Seva Sangham general secretary D. Vijayakumar demanded that all pending cases relating to women’s entry be withdrawn without delay.
Despite these mounting pressures, the government has taken the stance that the cases will not be withdrawn before the Global Ayyappa Sangam. The Devaswom Board and the state government are jointly organizing the event at Pampa on the 20th of this month. As an alternative platform, the Sabarimala Karma Samithi has scheduled a Sabarimala Protection Meeting in Pandalam on the 22nd, keeping the issue alive. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preparing to highlight what it calls the government’s “double standards” on the matter.
The government has also expressed displeasure at the Devaswom Board’s announcement that it intends to update its affidavit in the Supreme Court regarding women’s entry. In response, the government has clarified that discussions on Sabarimala rituals or the ongoing Supreme Court case will not form part of the Global Ayyappa Sangam. Instead, the event will begin with a presentation highlighting the importance of the Sangam, followed by panel discussions on related themes.
In the midst of these developments, the Sabarimala temple opened for the Kannimasa pujas on Monday evening. At 5 p.m., in the presence of Thantri Kandarar Mahesh Mohanar, the temple was formally opened, and the ceremonial lamp was lit by head priest Arun Kumar Namboothiri. Thousands of devotees thronged the premises to pay homage to Lord Ayyappa. Following the opening rituals, the traditional fire was poured into the deep below the sacred eighteenth step. The temple will remain open for darshan daily from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. during the puja period. It will finally close at 10 p.m. on September 21 after the completion of the Kannimasa pujas.
