Sabarimala Temple Board to Challenge Supreme Court Ruling on Women's Entry

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The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has decided to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court to protect the traditional ban on women of menstruating age from entering the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. The board's president, K Jayakumar, announced this move after a meeting where the decision was taken to maintain the current practice. The Supreme Court had allowed the entry of women of menstruating age into the temple in 2018, but the TDB has decided to contest this decision. Jayakumar clarified that the board's stand is that the existing tradition regarding women's entry at Sabarimala should continue. The affidavit will be filed before the court's deadline of March 14. The TDB has also announced several reforms aimed at improving the overall experience for pilgrims. These include introducing a festival office at Pampa, streamlining room availability, and improving sanitation by introducing a scientific waste-disposal system. Additionally, the board plans to launch a monthly magazine in multiple languages to strengthen ties with devotees from other states. The TDB has also decided to limit the number of daily-wage workers during the Sabarimala pilgrimage season and will not appoint them in sensitive areas. Furthermore, the board will introduce a modern tendering system for commercial spaces, review sponsorship guidelines, and ensure proper auditing to curb unnecessary spending and identify revenue leakages.