23 Kerala cops who broke Sabarimala temple traditions sent for intensive training

Pathanamthitta (The Uttam Hindu): Two days after a picture of Kerala policemen in uniform standing on the 18 steps of the famed Sabarimala temple went viral and led to a controversy, as this is a clear violation of the temple’s traditions, 23 policemen were on Wednesday asked to report for intensive training. The policemen will now report to the training division of the Kerala Police at Kannur where they will have to go through rigorous training. Details of the number of days that these policemen will have to undergo training are not known yet.

The swift action came after there was a major backlash from devotees and others and a top police official sought a report on the matter. On Thursday the Action Taken Report of the Kerala Police on the photo shoot will be given to the Kerala High Court’s Devasom Bench as they have already expressed their displeasure about the use of mobiles in and around the sanctum sanctorum of Sabarimala temple. The picture that was taken on Saturday shows about two dozen policemen in uniform with their backs to the sanctum sanctorum.

This, according to the devotees and believers of Lord Ayyappa, the temple deity, is a gross violation of customs and traditions. The picture is understood to have been taken after the doors of the famed temple were closed in the afternoon, as is done daily. Incidentally, even the temple priests descend the 18 steps with their face pointing towards the sanctum sanctorum. The policemen who were on duty were placed there to control the milling crowd of devotees and ease their darshan. Incidentally, the two-month-long festival season at the temple opened on November 16 and to regulate the crowd, 70,000 pilgrims are allowed darshan every day and this is done through online booking. Situated on the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats at an altitude of 3,000 feet above sea level, Sabarimala temple is four km uphill from Pamba in the Pathanamthitta district, which is around 100 km from the state capital.

The temple, which bars the entry of women who have attained puberty, is accessible only on foot from the Pamba River. As per practice, before setting off to the holy shrine, a pilgrim normally undertakes an intense 41-day penance where he does not wear footwear, dons a black dhoti, and sticks to a strict vegetarian diet. Every pilgrim carries ‘lrumudi’ on his head, which is a prayer kit that contains coconuts which are broken just before climbing the 18 steps. Without it, no one is allowed to step onto the holy 18 steps at the ‘Sannidhanam’.