World | India
Government supports women's entry into temple
The Leftist government in the southern state of Kerala has told the country's top court that it wants gender equality in a Hindu temple that traditionally keeps out women of a particular age-group.
- By Akhel Mathew, Correspondent
- Published: 01:04 February 8, 2008
Thiruvananthapuram: The Leftist government in the southern state of Kerala has told the country's top court that it wants gender equality in a Hindu temple that traditionally keeps out women of a particular age-group.
In an affidavit to the Supreme Court, the state contents that there should not be any gender-based discrimination among worshippers at the Sabarimala temple in the state's Pathanamthitta district.
The temple, however, has traditionally ruled out entry for girls and women between the ages of 10 and 50 on the ground that the deity of the temple, Ayyappa, is believed to have taken a vow of celibacy.
The row that the issue raised in Kerala had died down in the past, but the government's affidavit is likely to set off another round of controversy as it is being seen by Hindu groups as an effort to change the temple's long-standing customs.
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