BENGALURU: Hundreds of Ayyappa devotees gathered here on Sunday, demanding the Supreme Court review its order that allows entry of women of all ages into Sabarimala temple The protest at Freedom Park was spearheaded by Sri Ayyappa Temples’ Association, comprising 45 temples in Bengaluru.B Jay Prakash, general secretary of Akhila Bharatiya Sabarimala Ayyappa Sewa Samajam, said, “The tradition of not allowing women into Sabarimala temple goes back to 1,000 years or so. The restriction applies only to those from 10 to 50 years of age. The reason is the rough terrain of the region where the temple is located; women in those days would find it hard to travel. It has nothing to do with gender inequality.”Kannada actor Shivaram who joined in, said: “It’s sad that we are facing such a situation today. Women are also participating in this protest. If they themselves are ready to wait, there should be no problem. Only a certain section of people wants the restriction to go.”The gates of Sabarimala temple are scheduled to open on October 16 and close six days later. The protesters demanded that the Pandalam royal family and senior-most priest of the temple be involved in discussions on the matter, instead of limiting it to constitutional norms.Rajalakshmi R, a devotee, said, “It is an age-old practice. It was made because women between the age of 10 and 50 are considered to be caught in worldly affairs. The deity is a brahmachari, hence this ritual. We must follow it and save tradition.”“Religious matters or beliefs shouldn’t be decided solely on the basis of constitutional norms,” said advocate Vijay Kumar.

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