New IndPress
Bangalore, Jul 3: Lord Ayyappa devotees in the city are upset with the ongoing controversy over Kannada actress Jayamala entering into the Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala in Kerala.
Many ardent devotees, who visit the hill-shrine almost every year, feel that this is just a conspiracy to defame the temple as it is impossible for a woman to enter inside the temple.
"Security in and around the temple is very tight and no woman between the age of 10-50 years can enter the temple," they feel.
Some of them even said that Jayamala may have visited the tantri's room, which also has a similar idol and mistaken it for the main idol in side the sanctum sanctorum.
"It is a false story. It is never possible to enter the temple even with the help of a tantri. There is namboodiri's (poojari) guarding the sanctum sanctorum. Police also guard the temple," said Durgadasan K. He is Guruswami who has been going to Sabarimala for the last 41 years.
"The idol is more than 10 feet inside a small opening in the sanctum sanctorum. It is not possible to believe the actress's claim that she fell on the foot of the lord."
N S Unnikrishnan who looks after the famous Ayyappa temple in the city said: "There are steps on both sides leading to the sanctum sanctorum and with namboodiri's standing inside, a woman can never enter the shrine.
Some one is trying to take advantage by spreading such false rumours and tarnishing the image and purity of the temple."
He has made more than 40 trips to the temple and is a guruswami. He also said that it is considered impure when a woman touches the idol, as only tantri's are allowed to touch it.
Raghavan Nagwar is also a guruswami who has made 41 trips to Sabarimala. He said that only the tantri is allowed to touch the idol and perform pooja.
"Even VIPs are not allowed inside, let alone anyone else. The concept behind not allowing women inside the temple is not because Lord Ayyappa is against women touching him. When women have their menstrual cycles and take a dip in the river, it makes the water impure," he added.
Nagaraj Tundulu, a devotee who has been to Sabarimala for the past 23 years said that it is an insult to all devotees of Lord Ayyappa.
"Even otherwise a devotee cannot touch the idol as there are three steps leading to the idol. It is a story that has no base and is senseless."