Opinion | Naisthika Brahmachari Status: Should Courts Disturb It?

Dr G Shreekumar Menon

There are temples across India that restrain both men and women from entry for a variety of reasons

Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple is one of the most revered Hindu temples in India, located in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. The temple is administered by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), a government of Kerala-controlled autonomous body.

Other stakeholders of Sabarimala Temple are the Pandalam Royal Family and the Tantri (head priest) family. However, it goes without saying that it is the TDB which exercises a vice-like grip on the shrine, as it is a major revenue earner, generating a total revenue of Rs 332.77 crore during the 2025 Mandala Pooja season.

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The temple is surrounded by 18 hills in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. It is one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world, with an estimate of over 10 to 15 million devotees visiting every year. For this reason, Sabarimala has been on the radar of foreign-funded forces, constantly attempting to desecrate the sacred shrine.

In the early hours of June 14, 1950, the Sabarimala Temple was found gutted by fire. The idol of Ayyappa, the reigning deity, also known as Shasta, was found desecrated – the idol was broken. Though the law, as usual, could not find the suspects, Karma was quick to retaliate. In March 2022, George Karimbanal shot dead his brother Ranju Kurian and uncle Mathew Scaria near Kanjirapally in Kerala. All three belonged to the Christian Karimbanal family that was involved in the 1950 arson and desecration of Sabarimala temple.

K. Keshava Menon, a Deputy Superintendent of Police who had investigated the original Sabarimala temple arson case, had noted that there were 15 cut marks on the door leading to the Sree Kovil (Sanctum Sanctorum), with the Ayyappa murti’s head, left palm, and fingers being severed. After investigations, Menon had concluded that this was a plotted conspiracy, a hate crime against the religious sentiments of the Ayyappa devotees.

Further investigations revealed that converted Syrian Christians/Roman Catholics were behind the attack. Christian converts had ruined several temples to dislodge the Hindu faith from the state and convert it into a breeding ground for foreign-aided Christian missionaries. ‘Secular’ politicians had intervened, and no action was initiated against the accused, including Karimbanal Kochukunhu Muthalali and four other main accused. When the Sabarimala Temple was set on fire in June 1950, the government in power was the Travancore-Cochin state government (precursor to modern Kerala), led by Chief Minister Paravoor T. K. Narayana Pillai of the Indian National Congress.

The next assault on Sabarimala Temple occurred in 1982 in the Nilakkal area of Sabarimala Poonkavanam, where a Cross suddenly made its appearance. Soon, an orchestrated media campaign spread like wildfire and stories planted that the Cross found in Nilakkal dated back to 52 AD. The Nilakkal Church was claimed to be amongst the seven and a half churches founded by the mythical St. Thomas. The vicinity of the Nilakkal Mahadeva Temple soon overflowed with an organised Christian influx. Signboards naming the road to the temple as St. Thomas Road and the Nilakkal hill as St. Thomas Mount were erected.

A huge arch naming the spot as “Sleeba Nagar" was erected on the Sabarimala Road at Nilakkal Junction. Soon, Kerala saw an unparalleled mass agitation. On November 15, 1982, after seven months of a series of struggles, the Cross was carried away unnoticed in a truck, and this incident became the touchstone of Hindu strength.

In 2018, Sabarimala temple in Kerala was back in the news. Lord Ayyappa is worshipped as a Naisthika Brahmachari, meaning a state of lifelong celibacy. Due to this reason, women in the prime reproductive age group of 15–50 years have traditionally not been permitted to worship at Sabarimala. In 1991, the Kerala High Court upheld this practice. But, in September 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that all Hindu pilgrims, regardless of gender, could enter the temple. The Constitution bench of the Supreme Court held that “any exception placed on women because of biological differences violates the Constitution."

Specifically, the court held that the ban violated the right to equality under Article 14 and the right to freedom of religion under Article 25. This verdict resulted in a massive state-wide agitation, reminiscent of an agitation against the construction of a church near the Mahadeva Temple in the Nilakkal area.

Though the Marxist government was keen to implement the Supreme Court order, the massive backlash of the devotees across the State took everybody by surprise. The devotees were upset about the double standards that were being legalised. Sabarimala pilgrims have a practice of going to the Erumeli Vavar Mosque, but women of whatever age group are not permitted into the Mosque. The verdict cleverly refrained from making any ruling on this practice!

Among Kerala Muslims, there are multiple castes or sects. Sunni Muslims are divided into Sunni sects, Mujahid sects, and Jamaat sects. The Sunnis forbid women from entering mosques altogether. The reason for this practice is the Hadith (Abu Dawood 2:570) which ordains that “It is more excellent for a woman to pray in her house than in her courtyard, and more excellent for her to pray in her private chamber than in her house".

Similarly, Muslim females, including little girls, are prohibited entry inside the sanctum of the Hazratbal Mosque, Jammu and Kashmir (they are permitted only in the backyard)!

In many Christian denominations and traditions, women are prohibited from ordained ministry, such as serving as priests or pastors, and are restricted from holding senior leadership positions. These prohibitions stem from Biblical passages, such as 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15, which mandate that women remain silent or not teach/exercise authority over men in the church assembly!

The Presbyterian Church does not ordain women. Jesus did not have any women apostles. The Catholic Church says it’s tradition, since all the disciples of Jesus were male; hence, all priests are male. In certain Syrian Christian communities in Kerala, women are prohibited from entering the sanctum sanctorum (the innermost area where the altar is located), known as the Madbaha.

In Buddhist temples, specific, traditional, or cultural restrictions exist in certain areas, particularly in parts of Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar), regarding entry of women. While women can visit, they are forbidden from entering certain inner sanctums or touching monks.

Temples, such as Wat Sri Suphan in Chiang Mai, Thailand, forbid women from entering the main ordination hall. Women are strictly prohibited from touching monks or handing items directly to them.

The Chakkulathukavu Temple in Kerala is dedicated to Goddess Durga. The temple has a special ceremony called ‘Naari Puja’ which means worshipping the women. At the yearly ‘Naari Puja’ festival, men cannot enter the temple area, and it becomes a women-only affair.

Attukal Bhagavathy Temple at Thiruvananthapuram, known as the “Sabarimala of Women," prohibits men from entering the temple grounds during the annual Attukal Pongala festival (February-March). Millions of women gather to offer Pongala to the goddess, making it a women-only event.

The Kanyakumari Temple in Tamil Nadu is for the goddess Kanyakumari, who is an incarnation of Goddess Parvathi. Men, especially married men, aren’t allowed into the inner part of the temple where the idol of the goddess is kept. Only women can worship the goddess directly there.

In Rajasthan’s well-known Brahma Temple, married men are prohibited from entering the sanctum sanctorum to worship the deity.

The Mata Temple, at Muzaffarnagar, prohibits men from entering the temple premises during the time when the Goddess is believed to be menstruating. During this time, even a male priest is not allowed to enter the temple premises, and it becomes ‘women only’.

In the Kamakhya Temple, Assam, men are not allowed to enter the temple premises during certain times of the year. The grand Ambubachi Mela celebrates the Goddess, who is believed to be in menstruation during those days. On this occasion, men are not allowed to enter the temple, and only female priests or sanyasis are allowed to serve the temple during those days.

There are thus temples across India that restrain both men and women from entry, for a variety of reasons. The need is to respect these traditions. A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court will start hearing the reference made in the Sabarimala review case from April 7, 2026. Let us hope that the Bench will take a macroscopic view of the issue, giving full consideration for Temple traditions. Lord Ayyappa is a Juristic person, and he is entitled to maintain and preserve his Naisthika Brahmachari status, undisturbed. A Naisthika Brahmachari is a person in Hinduism who takes a lifelong vow of strict, unbroken celibacy, never transitioning into household life (Grihastha).

In the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, “When we respect our blood ancestors and our spiritual ancestors, we feel rooted. If we find ways to cherish and develop our spiritual heritage, we will avoid the kind of alienation that is destroying society, and we will become whole again.. .. Learning to touch deeply the jewels of our own tradition will allow us to understand and appreciate the values of other traditions, and this will benefit everyone".

(The writer is Former Director General, Multi-Disciplinary School of Economic Intelligence, and National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes & Narcotics. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views)

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