Aaratu to Lord Ayyappan at Pamba:
ySabarimala Thandhri Shri Rajeev and Melshanthi Shri V.P.Shanbu Vadthiyar Namboodri performed Aaratu to Lord Ayyappan on 1.12.2000
Posted on 12/19/2002 6:41:08 PM PST by dighton
KOCHI: A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court today directed the Travancore Devaswom Board to further probe into the presence of women at Pamba during ‘Aarattu’ and take appropriate action in consultation with the Tantris.
The direction was issued by a bench comprising Justice S Sankarasubban and Justice A Lekshmikutty while closing the proceedings initiated on the basis of a news report and photograph that appeared in Janmabhumi, that a large number of women had attended the ‘Aarattu’ of Lord Ayyappa in the Pamba River on Monday last.
As per the news report, a good number of worshippers who gathered at the Pamba Ganapathi Kovil for ‘darshan’ when the holy ‘Thidambu’ was brought there, were women. The same happened during the holy dip at the river.
The women included wives and daughters of several VIPs and it was alleged that the police and the Devaswom guards were busy providing facilities to them rather than prohibiting them.
Since time immemorial, women between the age of 10 and 50 have never visited Sabarimala, since Ayyappa is worshipped as a ‘brahmachari’. The High Court had also upheld this practice.
However, the board took the view that the women who participated in the ‘Aarattu’ did not belong to the prohibited age-group and that the High Court had restricted the entry of women only at Sannidhanam and not at Pampa.
The tantri also took the view that these women were not opposed to the customs and practices of the temple.
However, counsel appearing for the Kshetra Samrakshana Samithi argued that the idol taken in procession for ‘Aarattu’ in the River Pampa was the Lord Ayyappa himself, since his spirit had been invoked before it was taken for the dip. Hence women are not allowed to have darsan during ‘aarattu.’
ySabarimala Thandhri Shri Rajeev and Melshanthi Shri V.P.Shanbu Vadthiyar Namboodri performed Aaratu to Lord Ayyappan on 1.12.2000
Its opacity is its charm. Two other examples:
Simple, women are not allowed to have darsan during ‘aarattu’ and they did anyway. Duh!
But the presence of such parbeatum sclayalaben is certain smorp for the flootang.
But the presence of such parbeatum sclayalaben is certain smorp for the flootang.
This is an excellent analysis, and might actually be the true one, except for one small, but hardly worth mentioning flaw. My wife pointed out, all the words in your explanation can actually be pronounced, which must be considered, since she is over fifty, and was not having darsan at the time, at least as far as I know.
Hank
That I understand at about 85%.
I never paid any attention to Army regs, so therein lies the source of my comprehension gap.
Perhaps this post is another example of the vast gulf of understanding that exists between "non" and "active" recreational drug users?
Sure, that's what she says. You might ask her if she recognizes this guy:
Shockingly few replies to that one, and embezzlers suck funds from 'town of fruits.'
However, counsel appearing for the Kshetra Samrakshana Samithi argued that the idol taken in procession for 'Aarattu' in the River Pampa was the Lord Ayyappa himself, since his spirit had been invoked before it was taken for the dip. Hence women are not allowed to have darsan during 'aarattu.'
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