Temple board to contest court order allowing women's entry at Sabarimala

04-Mar-2026

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The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) on March 2 said it has decided to uphold the age-old tradition at the Sabarimala temple restricting the entry of women of menstruating age and said it will file an affidavit before the Supreme Court in this regard.

The Supreme Court in 2018 had allowed the entry of women of menstruating age into the Lord Ayyappa temple. Review petitions against the verdict are currently under consideration, and the court has asked concerned parties, including the state government and the TDB, to clarify their stand before March 14.

On March 2 TDB president K Jayakumar said the decision to contest court order was taken at a board meeting held in view of the pending case before the Supreme court, where a larger bench is set to reconsider the issue. He said the board would communicate its stand through a draft affidavit before March 14, as directed by the court.

“It is not contradictory to our earlier stand because the Travancore Hindu Religious Act makes it incumbent upon the board to uphold the traditions of the temple. It is the bounden duty of the Travancore Devaswom Board. Our stand is that we uphold the age-old custom of Sabarimala,” Jayakumar said.