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Sabarimala Hindu temple board reverses opposition to women worshippers
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS FEBRUARY 6, 2019 / 6:20 AM / UPDATED 10 MINUTES AGO
Sabarimala Hindu temple board reverses opposition to women worshippers
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The board of an ancient Hindu hill temple in southern India said on Wednesday it now favoured allowing female worshippers of menstruating age to enter, reversing its previous support for a centuries-old ban.
The board overseeing the Sabarimala temple also said it would withdraw from efforts to challenge the Indian Supreme Court’s ruling that the ban on entry for women and girls aged 10-50 must be ended to uphold rights to equality of worship.
The temple in Kerala state has been the site of tension since the ruling in late September. Thousands of devotees have blocked attempts by women to visit the site. Some protesters have threatened the women and pelted them with stones, causing injuries to some and damaging property.
On Wednesday, the Tranvancore Devaswom Board told the Supreme Court it would abide by its decision to open the temple to women, after holding off for months saying it did not want to violate a historic tradition.
“After the Supreme Court judgement, we discussed a lot. We realise that we should respect the judgement of the court,” lawyer Rakesh Dwivedi told Reuters.
-snip-
Sabarimala Hindu temple board reverses opposition to women worshippers
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The board of an ancient Hindu hill temple in southern India said on Wednesday it now favoured allowing female worshippers of menstruating age to enter, reversing its previous support for a centuries-old ban.
The board overseeing the Sabarimala temple also said it would withdraw from efforts to challenge the Indian Supreme Court’s ruling that the ban on entry for women and girls aged 10-50 must be ended to uphold rights to equality of worship.
The temple in Kerala state has been the site of tension since the ruling in late September. Thousands of devotees have blocked attempts by women to visit the site. Some protesters have threatened the women and pelted them with stones, causing injuries to some and damaging property.
On Wednesday, the Tranvancore Devaswom Board told the Supreme Court it would abide by its decision to open the temple to women, after holding off for months saying it did not want to violate a historic tradition.
“After the Supreme Court judgement, we discussed a lot. We realise that we should respect the judgement of the court,” lawyer Rakesh Dwivedi told Reuters.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-temple/indian-hindu-temple-board-reverses-opposition-to-entry-of-women-idUSKCN1PV166
Hindu devotees wait in queues inside the premises of the Sabarimala temple in Pathanamthitta district in the southern state of Kerala, India, October 18, 2018. REUTERS/Sivaram V
