Mala Arayan community to keep vigil on Lord Ayyappa temple after SC verdict

Amid mounting protest in Kerala over the Supreme Court order permitting women of all age groups to enter Sabarimala, a tribal community Friday said they would keep vigil in the hills around the Lord Ayyappa shrine to make sure that its customs are not affected. 

The Mala Arayan community, which holds some traditional rights in the rituals related to the temple, said they were with the faithful protesting to protect the shrine's age-old customs. 

The ancestors of the community, settled in 18 hills including Sabarimala, are historically said to be close aides of Lord Ayyappa. 

"People from Mala Arayan community will keep vigil of the 18 hills, including Sabarimala, to make sure that the customs of the Lord Ayyappa temple are not affected," Aikya Mala Arayan Mahasabha and its spiritual offshoot Ayyappa Dharma Sangham said. 

Leaders of the community said those who were powerful and influential were violating the age-old customs of the temple. 

"We are saddened by the Supreme Court verdict. Our forefathers had fought wars for Lord Ayyappa. They lived and died for Him. Thousands of Mala Arayan community people will join the movement to protect the customs of the Sabarimala temple," its leaders C R Dileepkumar and K N Padmanabhan told reporters. 

Meanwhile, an outfit called Antharashtra Hindu Parishad moved the Kerala High Court seeking its intervention to prevent "those who have no time for observing penance of 41 days from entering the temple." 

It alleged that the state government and Travancore Devaswom Board that manages the shrine were forcing women constables and officers, who are not prepared to work beyond Pamba at the foothills, for duty at Sabarimala.

(With inputs from agencies.)