Thiruvananthapuram: Two women devotees of Ayyappa, the deity at Sabarimala temple in Kerala, were foiled in their attempt to offer prayers at the temple on Wednesday by a group of traditionalists who oppose women’s entry into the temple, but women in Kerala broke through another male bastion by conquering the Agasthyarkoodam peak in the south of the state.

As in the case of Sabarimala, where tradition had forbidden women in the reproductive ages from making a pilgrimage, tradition had prevented women from trekking up the Agasthyarkoodam hill ranges. In both cases it was the courts that stepped in to overturn tradition and underline gender equality.

On Wednesday, two women pilgrims — identified as Reshma and Shanila — were blocked by a large crowd of traditionalists at Sabarimala and police had to throw a protective cordon around them. The duo refused to return without offering prayers but police could not help them go up to the shrine.

Significantly, the two women attempted the Sabarimala pilgrimage on the day after the main pilgrimage season ended on Tuesday, apparently presuming that their visit would not attract the attention of many traditionalists.

In the south of the state, meanwhile, 38-year-old Dhanya Sanal, became the first woman to trek to Agasthyarkoodam, the second highest peak in Kerala at 1,868 metres. Her trek was made possible by a ruling of the Kerala High Court that lifted the curbs against women trekking up the peak. The peak is named after the mythical Hindu sage, Agasthyar.

Agasthyarkoodam peak is in the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, and is under the control of the state forest department. The trek, managed by forest department officials, is held during the January-March period and trekkers need permission from the forest department.

Early reports indicated that the trekking team, which included Sanal, had two women officials, too. The Adivasi Mahasabha, an organisation that represents tribals, opposes the decision to allow women into Agasthyarkoodam.

During this trekking season, nearly 4,000 have registered with the forest department, including roughly 100 women, underscoring the fact that women have clearly broken the barrier to climbing the peak, armed with the court order.

Sabarimala, meanwhile, continues to be practically out of bounds for women of reproductive age, because of devotees blocking such women despite an order from India’s Supreme Court permitting women to go on pilgrimage to Sabarimala.

On Wednesday, police were surprised to find that most of the protesters who blocked Reshma and Shanila were Ayyappa devotees from outside Kerala, mostly from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.