Travancore Devaswom Board to present Sabarimala rituals, customs to SC

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 1 (PTI) Travancore Devaswom Board president P S Prasanth on Monday said the temple body will try to convince the Supreme Court about the rituals and customs of the Sabarimala shrine.

“Everybody knows about the rituals and customs of Sabarimala. We will try to convince the Supreme Court about this. We have to consult with legal experts, and we will do whatever we can in this regard,” Prasanth told reporters here, responding to a query.

He added that the board would seek legal advice before making its submissions.

In 2018, the Supreme Court lifted the ban on women of menstruating age entering the Sabarimala temple, ruling the restriction "unconstitutional". The verdict triggered widespread protests and remains under review by a larger bench.

Prasanth’s remarks came a day after BJP Kerala chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticised the board for hosting the Global Ayyappa Sangamam and urged it to oppose women’s entry into the hill temple.

The Global Ayyappa Sangamam is being organised by the Travancore Devaswom Board, as part of its 75th anniversary, in association with the Kerala government, on September 20 at Pampa.

The Travancore Devaswom Board is an autonomous body managing 1,248 temples in the erstwhile Travancore region, including the Sabarimala temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. PTI SSK