1 The acceptance of social change in the Kerala society: The impact of religious traditionalism in the acceptance of the court verdict to legalize women’s entry at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, India.

1. 1
The acceptance of social change in the Kerala society: The impact of
religious traditionalism in the acceptance of the court verdict to
legalize women’s entry at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, India.
To what extent do religious traditionalism and cultural relativism of the
Kerala Society impact the acceptance of the Indian Supreme Court
verdict lifting the restriction of women’s entry into the
Sabarimala temple?
World Studies subjects: World religion and Social anthropology
Subjects aspects: Religious traditionalism and cultural relativism
Theme: Equality and inequality
May 2020
Word count: 3983

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Table of Contents
List of Figures ........................................................................................................................ 3
List of Tables......................................................................................................................... 3
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 4
2. Claims of this study ........................................................................................................ 6
3. Methodology................................................................................................................... 7
4. The impact of religious traditionalism............................................................................. 7
4.1. Application and analysis ............................................................................................. 8
4.1.1. Secondary data: Young women’s registration to enter the temple.............................. 8
4.1.2. Secondary data: Survey results ................................................................................ 8
4.1.3. Primary data: Survey............................................................................................... 9
4.1.3.1. Overall data........................................................................................................ 10
4.1.3.2. Gender-based results .......................................................................................... 11
4.1.3.3. Age-based results ............................................................................................... 11
Age group: 51+ ................................................................................................................... 11
Age group: 31 - 50............................................................................................................... 12
Age group: 18 - 30............................................................................................................... 12
4.1.4. Interview data & expert opinions ........................................................................... 12
4.1.4.1. Interview with Rahul Easwar, the proponent of traditional customs .................... 13
4.1.4.2. Interview with Sajeev, PK, the leader of the ‘Malayaraya’ community................ 13
4.1.4.3. Other expert opinions......................................................................................... 14
4.2. Evaluation and link to the research question ............................................................. 15
4.3. Limitations of the analysis......................................................................................... 15
5. The impact of cultural relativism .................................................................................. 15
5.1. Application and analysis ........................................................................................... 16
5.1.1. Expert opinions ..................................................................................................... 16
5.1.2. Evidence from the court verdict.............................................................................. 16
5.1.3. Evaluation and link to the research question.......................................................... 17
5.1.4. Limitations of the analysis ..................................................................................... 17
6. Conclusion................................................................................................................... 18

3. 3
Bibliography and References............................................................................................... 19
Appendix............................................................................................................................. 21
Interview questions: ............................................................................................................ 21
Reflections with supervisor: Viva Voice ............................................................................... 22
List of Figures
Figure 1: Opinion of Participants............................................................................................................10
Figure 2: Opinion of female participants................................................................................................11
Figure 3: Opinion of male participants...................................................................................................11
List of Tables
Table 1: Young women who registered online for worship.....................................................................8
Table 2: Opinion Survey on Sabarimala Women entry (Asianet)..........................................................9

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1. Introduction
Women’s rights have been a controversial terrain in the dominion of religious discourse
worldwide. India is no exception to the phenomenon of the use of religious and cultural discourse
to subvert the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights of women. Indian society has
imposed certain restrictions on women from entering places of worship during their menstruation
period, supposedly due to their impurity during menstruation. (Anand and Garg 184). Sabarimala,
the famous Hindu temple in Kerala, India, has recently drawn the attention of the world due to
women’s entry controversy (BBC). Unlike other temples in Kerala, Sabarimala temple permits
entry of devotees from all religions and castes without any discrimination, except women
of menstruating age. The ban on young women in the temple is because of the deity in this temple,
Lord Ayyappa, who observes celibacy (Osella and Osella ). The religious belief is that any person
wishing to go to Sabarimala needs to observe celibacy for forty-one days, and due to the menstrual
period, women cannot observe rituals for forty-one consecutive days. According to the Survey of
Cochin State, denial of women’s entry has existed for two centuries (Jeffrey ). Pubescent women
have been prohibited in the temple vicinity as it negatively affects the deity. It was legalized by
the Kerala High Court verdict, which was based on a petition filed by S. Mahendran (The
Secretary, Travancore Devaswom Board, the temple governing body) in 1991 seeking a ban on
women entering Sabarimala. The court observed that the restriction did not infringe Article 15 of
the Indian Constitution (which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex
or place of birth) or of the provisions of the Hindu places of public worship (Authorization of
Entry) Act, 1965 as there is no restriction for women as a class. In 2006, a petition was filed by
six women members of the Indian Young Lawyers' Association before the Supreme Court of India
to remove the prohibition against the temple entry ban for young women between 10 to 50 years.
They argued that the tradition of young women’s restriction was a violation of Article 15 of the

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Indian Constitution and the constitutional right of women. The landmark verdict of the Supreme
Court of India in September 2018 overruled the Kerala High Court verdict and allowed women of
all age groups to enter the temple. The court observed, "we have no hesitation in saying that such
an exclusionary practice violates the right of women to visit and enter a temple to exhibit her
devotion towards Lord Ayyappa. The denial of this right to women significantly denudes them of
their right to worship” (Supreme Court of India 661). The verdict was not unanimous; the Chief
Justice and two other male justices favored the entry, whereas woman Justice Indu Malhotra
opposed (CNN ). Justice Indu Malhotra, in her dissent note, stated that "every individual should
be allowed to practice their faith irrespective of whether the practice is rational or logical" (Indian
Express ).
It is logical in a modern society like Kerala, whose social development indicators in education and
health are number one among Indian states (Government of India ), would accept a societal change
initiated by the Supreme Court to permit women’s entry into the Sabarimala temple. However,
aggressive opposition towards the social change was received from people, including a large mass
of women devotees, defending their religious beliefs. Following the Supreme Court verdict,
women activists tried to enter the temple, but their attempts were repeatedly dampened by violent
attacks and aggressive opposition from devotees. The Kerala state witnessed seven strike
lockdown calls by various Hindu organizations, and the Hindu organizations urged devotees not
to give offerings of money to the temple as part of their protest, which resulted in huge revenue
loss to the temple. Fifty-six petitions seeking review of the Supreme Court judgment were filed
and the Supreme court referred the case to a 7-member constitutional bench. Women activists and
reformists claim that the Supreme Court's verdict on Sabarimala is a historical move in eradicating
gender discrimination. The Kerala society is virtually divided on the merit of the verdict as it

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resulted in a conflict between women’s right to gender equality and equal rights on the one hand,
and freedom to practice, celebrate and propagate religion on the other, both of which are cherished
principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution (Krishna and Parmesh 1338-1342). This study
analyses the cultural and anthropological aspects of the Sabarimala young women entry
controversy.
2. Claims of this study
This study seeks to challenge the claim that social change to accept young women entry to
Sabarimala temple is resistant within the Kerala society due to gender discrimination, offered by
social activists. Instead, the study argues that Religious Traditionalism and Cultural Relativism
owe towards the resistant nature of social change within the Kerala society. The research question
is worthy of investigation because the exploration of the claims highlighted, will be tested and
analyzed through the use of the Supreme Court verdict on Sabarimala temple as the initiator; to
find the reasons as to why women are deprived of their constitutional rights, which declares the
freedom to propagate religion.
The subject terminology that will be used is ‘Social change’ as an aspect of social and cultural
anthropology and is defined as an alteration in the social or cultural elements within society. In
this essay, Social change refers to the change in the temple customs, which will allow women to
enter the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, India. The sensitivity of individuals in Kerala society
towards the change in the law which allows women to enter the temple, is explored through the
notions of ‘Religious traditionalism’, an aspect of World religions, and ‘Cultural relativism’,
an aspect of Social and Cultural Anthropology. Religious traditionalism is the belief that religious
customs are more important for a religious society than a modern civilized way of living.
Traditionalism in religion is universally evident as multiple religions follow rituals and customs

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based on beliefs that have been continually passed down through generations. Cultural relativism
is a contribution of anthropology that “understand the cultural practices of an individual or groups
in its ,cultural context, rather than be judged against the criteria of another (Khan academy ). It
explains that all cultural systems are inherently equal in value and, therefore, each cultural item
must be understood on its own terms, without judgment (OUP ).
In order to explore how these aspects, influence societal change, the following scientific
methodologies were adopted.
3. Methodology
The study has adopted the following methodologies for data collection and analysis.
• The primary data were collected through a closed-ended random survey from 400 participants.
Survey Monkey tool is used for data collection.
• Primary data were also collected through interviews with two prominent social figures.
• Secondary data were collected from newspaper articles, scholarly journals and magazines.
4. The impact of religious traditionalism
The claim is that social change is resistant within the Kerala society due to the impact of religious
traditionalism.
Religious traditionalism is the understanding that traditions followed within a religion are more
important than adapting to the changes within the society. In the case of Sabarimala, the practice
of restricting young women to enter is part of the tradition that has been followed by many
individuals of both genders in the Hindu religious society for centuries. Therefore, the hypothesis
is that the restriction to the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple is due to the impact of
religious traditionalism.

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4.1. Application and analysis
In order to analyze the claim, primary data were collected through survey and interviews and
secondary data were collected from newspapers, magazines and government data.
4.1.1. Secondary data: Young women’s registration to enter the temple
As per the Government of Kerala, there were only 500 young women who registered online to
enter the temple, which is very low compared to the total number of female worshipers.
Traditionalists argue that the women who registered are activists and not devotees (NDTV )
Total Number of devotees visited after the Supreme Court verdict 3 Million
Young women registered online for pilgrimage 500
Young women visited as per record 53
Table 1: Young women who registered online for worship
Among 500 registered young women only 53 (11%) attempted to enter the temple. The reason for
these low numbers in registration and turnout is unclear whether it is due to the fear of protests or
due to religious traditionalism.
4.1.2. Secondary data: Survey results
Additional secondary data was collected to analyze the reasons for resistance to women’s entry
into the temple, even with the court order allowing them to enter. The table below shows the results
of the survey conducted by a popular Kerala News Channel (Asianet Television)
(https://www.asianetnews.com/election/66-percentage-aginst-women-entry-in-sabarimala-
pmvdcv)

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Young women should not be allowed to enter the Sabarimala Temple as it is against
the temple traditions and do not support supreme court verdict.
66 %
Women has equal right to enter the temple and support the Supreme court's verdict. 29%
Do not know. 5%
Table 2: Opinion Survey on Sabarimala Women entry (Asianet)
The Survey results above revealed that 66% of the participants disagree with the Court's rule to
initiate social change within the society as it is against their religious traditions and customs. Only
29% percent of the participants endorsed the Supreme Court verdict as they agree with the law that
promotes change of customs that discriminate against women from having a religious experience
in the temple. Even though there is not much clarity about the women participants of the survey,
the result is a general indication of the pulse of the society. In order to explore whether religious
traditionalism is the root cause of the inequality against women, primary data was collected and
analyzed.
4.1.3. Primary data: Survey
In order to analyze the societies’ response in detail, a primary survey was conducted in which 400
individuals participated. The following parameters were used to control the survey:
• Roughly equal numbers of females (193) and males (207) participated, with approximately
48% of females and 52% of male participants.
• In order to understand the difference in opinion among individuals from different age groups,
an approximately equal number of participants belonging to the age categories of 18-30, 31-
50, and 51+ from both genders were asked to participate.
The participants were asked the question:

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In the event of the supreme court verdict of lifting the ban on young women to enter
Sabarimala temple, do you think the religious tradition of restricting young women should be
continued?
4.1.3.1. Overall data
The results are given in Figure-1.
Figure 1: Opinion of Participants
The survey data shows that 44.50% of the participants ‘strongly agree' and 19.75% 'agree' with the
continuation of religious tradition. Therefore, a total of 64.25% of the total participants are not in
favor of accepting a social change which allows the entry of women into Sabarimala temple. The
support base of 64.25% for keeping the tradition of this survey resembles the secondary data:
survey result of Asianet, where 66% were in favor of continuing traditions.

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4.1.3.2. Gender-based results
Among all participants, 65.70% (136 out of 207) males and 62.50% (120 out of 193) females
agreed with the restriction of women's entry into the Sabarimala temple vicinity.
The survey
result is significant as both males and females are in favor of women’s restriction into
Sabarimala temple, which implies that religious traditionalism is the core issue, not gender bias.
4.1.3.3. Age-based results
Age group: 51+
The individuals of both genders in the age category 51+ agreed on the restriction of women’s entry
with an overall percentage of 89.36% (126/141 participants). 89% of elderly male participants and
88% of elderly female participates favored traditional customs be maintained. The individuals in
the 51+ category is more likely accustomed to religious traditionalism and this influenced the
resistance towards social change.
Figure 3: Opinion of male participants Figure 2: opinion of female participants

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Age group: 31 - 50
It was observed that 67.98% (87/129) of the individuals belonging to the age category of 31-50
favored keeping the tradition of restricting the women’s entry. However, when compared to the
age category of 51+, there is a 21.38% decrease from 89.36% to 67.98% in favor of restrictions of
women’s entry into Sabarimala. This data suggests that middle-aged individuals are less sensitive
to traditional customs being changed than individuals in the age category of 51+, as they are less
influenced by religious traditionalism.
Age group: 18 - 30
The survey shows a significant difference in opinion of respondents in the 18 to 30 age category
in comparison with older age groups. 64 % of young people favored the Supreme Court verdict
and seem to be non-sensitive towards the religious traditions.
The support towards Social change is approximately at the same rate (64%) in both young women
and young men categories.
4.1.4. Interview data & expert opinions
To analyze the expert opinions on this subject, interviews were conducted with prominent social
figures. The first interview was with Mr. Rahul Eswar, the grandson of the Sabarimala Priest
(Tantric head), who is at the forefront of agitations for maintaining the existing traditions at
Sabarimala temple. The second interview was with Mr. Sajeev, PK, the President of ‘Malayaraya’
community, the indigenous tribe who claims that Sabarimala used to be their community temple.
The expert opinions from various secondary sources were also analyzed.

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4.1.4.1. Interview with Rahul Easwar, the proponent of traditional customs
Rahul stated that the Sabarimala temple has existed for over 500 years and temple traditions are
strongly associated with the wishes of the deity ‘Ayyappa,’ who opted to stay celibate. It is
believed that the entry of young women would distract the deity. Rahul claims that, as per the
Indian constitution, a deity is a legal entity, and has the right to decide his wish. When asked about
the method for knowing God’s wish, he replied that the process called “DEVAPRASHNA”
conducted by well-known astrologers reveals the wishes of the deity. He stated, “menstruation of
women is no way connected with the restriction, and the presence of young women declines not
only the celibacy strength of the deity but also that of the devotees who observes celibacy for 41
days as part of the rituals to visit Sabarimala temple”. He said he values women’s equal rights but
maintaining traditional values is more important as it is the root belief associated with Sabarimala
temple, without which the credence of the temple itself is at stake.
4.1.4.2. Interview with Sajeev, PK, the leader of the ‘Malayaraya’ community
Sajeev claims that the Sabarimala temple belongs to ‘Malayarya’ community. He said, even though
none of the Malayaraya women visit the temple now due to their traditional beliefs, the community
is not against it as we are living in a reformed society. He doesn’t see the restriction on young
women is due to the discrimination but evolved as part of traditions. He also said that the ‘Mala
Arayans’ were dispossessed of their rights to the temple only in 1902, with the current Brahmin
priests (Thazhamon family) being installed by the King of Travancore. Tribal practices and rituals
were changed with Brahmanical (upper cast) practices. He pointed out an example that, the honey
traditionally used to anoint the deity was replaced with ghee. The “Malayaraya Mahasabha’ (Tribal
community organization) has decided to approach the Supreme Court seeking ownership of
Sabarimala temple

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4.1.4.3. Other expert opinions
Prof. Sunil P Elayidom, an orator and professor at Sanskrit University, Kerala rebukes the
argument of protecting this tradition. He said, “The soul of all religions lies in its values and not
in traditions”. The evil traditions such as considering lower castes as un-touchables, denying
temple entry to lower castes, not allowing lower caste women to cover their breast, all prevailed
in Kerala until the middle of the 20th
century. The modern society of Kerala has evolved by
breaking these evil traditions through social struggle. Prof Sunil mentioned that, “Even in
Sabarimala, the tradition of shayana pradikshanam (where devotees roll on the ground around the
shrine) has been stopped. "So, the claim of protecting customs does not hold water”. The ban of
young women in Sabarimala was imposed only 27 years ago by the Kerala High court. Prof. Sunil
endorsed the views of the Malayaraya community, and he said, “There is proof that, till the 19th
century, the Sabarimala temple was run by the tribal ‘Malayarayans’. Later, it was taken over by
the Thazhamon Brahmin family, which introduced ‘Brahmanical’ rituals whose core custom
involved barring the entry of menstruating women”. He added that tribal practices and rituals were
changed with Brahmanical (upper caste) practices. Rajan Gurukkal, former Vice-Chancellor of
Mahatma Gandhi University and famous historian, opined, “There is neither ritual sanctity nor
scientific justification for the argument of menstrual pollution.” He states, there is historical
evidence that the tribal community considered menstruation to be an auspicious symbol of fertility
and, women of all ages, especially young upper-caste women had visited the Sabarimala temple
until the 1980s (Gurukkal ). During the interview, when asked about the change of other traditions
that happened in Sabarimala, Mr. Easwer replied that “the so called changes do not affect the root
belief of Sabarimala”, but the celibate nature of the deity “Ayyappa” is the special strength of
Sabarimala temple and the actions to weaken the strength of the deity cannot be accepted”. Rahul
added, “furthermore, the vast support from thousands of women who conducted procession across

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Kerala in support of the restriction of the young women’s entry into the temple is an indication
that women do not see restriction as discrimination but their urge to keep the traditions”.
4.2. Evaluation and link to the research question
According to data analysis, both males and females equally support upholding the prevailing
customs at Sabarimala. The above revelation of the sample survey is a good validation of the claim
of religious traditionalism and can be considered as a microcosmic reflection of the Kerala state’s
opinion. Subsequently, the findings that the young generation is less sensitive to religious
traditionalism is a variation to the overall traditionalistic viewpoints and trends prevailing in the
state. Furthermore, religious traditionalists, such as Mr. Eshwar, argue that the restrictions on
young women cannot be considered as gender discrimination as this custom is due to the celibate
nature of the deity at Sabarimala ‘Ayyappa’ temple. Additionally, Mr. Sajeev, the indigenous
tribal community leader also does not see women's restrictions prevailing in Sabarimala as
discriminatory, even though Mr. Sajeev is in favor of social change.
4.3. Limitations of the analysis
Due to time limitations, this study could only consider a random sample size of 400. Considering
the 34.6 million total population of Kerala State, this sample size is very small. By increasing the
sample size, the validity of the claim may be re-confirmed in future studies. Since interview data
is qualitative, the opinions made by the social figures may be biased.
5. The impact of cultural relativism
The second claim of this study is that Social change is resistant within the Kerala society due to
the impact of cultural relativism.

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Cultural relativism is a concept in anthropology which denotes the defending of divergent cultures.
It elucidates that all cultural systems must be understood on its own standing without judgment. It
emphasizes that practices are entrenched in each religious background, and they must be
acknowledged as products of different traditions (OUP ). Expert opinions and interviews with
prominent social figures were utilized to obtain the data for the analysis of this claim.
5.1. Application and analysis
5.1.1. Expert opinions
In the case of Sabarimala, cultural relativism is observable in the statements made by Hindu
religious leaders to defend the beliefs of their culture. “The law should not intervene the beliefs of
the Hindus’ traditions followed at the sanctorum of the Ayyappa Temple for over 500 years.”
(India Today ). Furthermore, the Devasom board authorities statement that the traditions of
restricting menstruating women to enter the temple premise are a practice within the Hindu
religion(Manorama ), also affirms that traditions should not be judged through the eyes of social
activists whose principles are insensitive to the criterion of Hindu religious practices.
Rahul Eswar, in his interview, stated: “The constitution of India has permitted every religion to
practices its customs, and that the rationality of these traditions cannot be judged by the judiciary”.
He further said that “traditions should be protected to ensure the freedom of religious practices.”
5.1.2. Evidence from the court verdict
The Kerala High court, in its early verdict, stated that the practicing of religious customs is allowed
by the constitution of India, and the restriction of women does not come under discrimination, as
women as a class are not restricted, but only regulation for young women as per the religious
practices exist (Indian Express ). Furthermore, justice Indu Malhotra’s dissent note from the

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Supreme Court verdict as an important female judicial figure, appealed for restraint in interfering
in religious matters. She emphasized that that “Judicial review of religious practices ought not to
be undertaken, as the court cannot impose its rationality with respect to the form of worship of a
deity. This would negate the practice to worship one’s religion according to one’s faith and belief
(Indian Express ).” This statement implies that if the law interferes with the traditions, it attacks
the rights of the Hindu society. During the trial of review petitions, the Supreme Court of India
also acknowledged the argument of cultural relativism and referred the Sabarimala case to a 7-
member constitutional bench to examine whether the court can intervene in religious traditions.
5.1.3. Evaluation and link to the research question
The constitution of India has given freedom to practice religious customs at the same time it has
bestowed gender equality. Here the question is whether religious customs challenge gender
equality. The courts also have differing viewpoints and opinions in this matter. The Kerala High
Court observed that religious customs in Sabarimala are not discrimination towards women, but
the Supreme Court 5-member bench had opposing views. The woman justice Indu Malhotra
endorsed cultural relativism and stated that the court cannot intervene. Now the matter is with 7-
member constitutional bench for the final decision. Analyzing experts’ opinions and the court
orders, it is evident that the argument of ‘cultural relativism’ is one reason for the resistance of
social change regarding young women’s entry at Sabarimala. Some traditions may not be logical
according to the views of modern civilization, but society believes it is their right to practice their
traditions.
5.1.4. Limitations of the analysis
As the data collected from the interview was qualitative, there is a chance of bias in the opinion,
given the background or beliefs of the individual, But the verdicts of the Kerala High Court and

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the remarks of Justice Indu Malhotra can be taken as independent opinions regarding cultural
relativism that prevails in the Kerala Hindu Society.
6. Conclusion
Through the study, religious traditionalism and cultural relativism are relevant factors that could
explain (or point to) why the society is aggregately agreeing to restrict women into Sabarimala,
therefore indirectly causing resistance and slowing down social change, within the Kerala religious
society. In context, until the middle of the 20th
century, Kerala had witnessed various uncivilized
practices of imposing restrictions on so-called lower caste communities by the upper strata.
Temple entry was denied to lower caste people, and their women were not allowed to cover their
breasts. These activities were observed based on the traditions that prevailed in the society at that
time. Later these discriminatory traditions were eradicated through social struggle, led by
reformers across all communities and with the enactment of laws. Initially, it was evident that the
society protested these calls for change within the existing traditions and customs of the society,
but later these reforms took place, paving the way to a progressive modernized society. Changes
have always been gradually accepted and implemented by civilizations by and large.

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Bibliography and References
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CNN, Manveena Suri. "Sabarimala Temple: India's Supreme Court lifts ban on women entering
shrine." September 2018. Web. Aug 24, 2019 <https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/28/asia/india-
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<https://www.census2011.co.in/facts/highstateliteracy.html>.
Gurukkal, Rajan. "Yes, Sabarimala is in Peril, but Not the Way You Think."
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<https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/yes-sabarimala-is-in-peril-but-not-the-way-
you-think/300818>.
India Today. "Tradition must be Followed: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Sabarimala Row." India
Today December 2018Print.
Indian Express. "Sabarimala Temple: Women Entry Issue First Came Up in Kerala High Court
28 Years Ago." The Indian Express, -09-29T06:31:58+05:30 2018a, Web. Aug 24, 2019

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<https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sabarimala-templewomen-entry-issue-first-came-
up-in-kerala-high-court-28-years-ago-5378916/>.
---. "Sabarimala Verdict: Justice Indu Malhotra Dissents — Can’t Invoke Rationality in
Religion." The Indian Express, September 2018b, Print.
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NDTV. "2 Women Below 50 Enter Sabarimala, Temple Reopens After "Purification"."
NDTV.com, December 2018, Web. Aug 24, 2019 <https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/two-
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Appendix
Survey questions:
1. What is your gender?
2. What is your age?
3. In the event of the supreme court verdict of lifting the ban on young women to enter
Sabarimala temple, do you think the religious tradition of restriction on young women
should be continued?
Interview questions:
• It is heard that Mala Araya community had been performing the poojas at the Sabarimala
temple. What is your opinion on this?
• Mostly known myth is that the temple is dedicated to the celibate deity Ayyapan, who
according to belief is the son of God Shiva and Vishnu (Mohini), adopted by Panama

22. 22
king and later achieved his divine form. All the restrictions on women revolve around
this myth. But based Mala Araya community’s belief, it is a different story. What is your
opinion?
• Some of the religious and social groups did a U-turn on their viewpoints based on the
pulse of the believers. What was your initial reaction to the Supreme Court verdict that
was declared? Is there any change to your opinion now?
• Do you agree with the Supreme court verdict? Why?
• Do you believe that the restriction to women's entry is due to the peculiarity of the deity
or just imposing of Brahmanical rituals and customs as part of templisation?
• Do you think that the protests were necessary? Why do you think that the people were so
sensitive to the entry of young women, into the temple?
• Is the entry of women into sacred places really a religious issue or just a way to
condescend women of our society?
• Were there changes to the customs and rituals after the thazhamon Madom took over the
control of the temple from Mala Arayas ?
• Should the rules of a religion adjust to changes within the society or should it strictly
follow the ones passed down through generation?
• Is there inequality within Hindu religion?
• Do you agree with women activist going into the temple premises?
• Do you have any suggestions as a solution to the problem?
Reflections with supervisor: Viva Voice
Viva voice 1
Appropriate sources are available to carry out the studies on this research.

23. 23
The research topic is fit for the subject(s) which I have chosen (Equality and inequality– world
religion and cultural anthropology)
There are some religious ethics that might be contradictory to gender equality ethics. Care should
be taken in writing to avoid religious sensitivity topics
The research topic has sufficient focus to study the research problem; focuses on 2 locations that
experience the same independent variable.
My initial searches reveal that Hindu society is divided in their reactions on providing equality to
women in temples. The nature of responses is different in Kerala and Maharashtra.
Initially, I started from a broad topic of gender equality for women in Hindu temples, and lately,
I identified specific research issues. My question is now focusing on Governmental measures to
establish Gender equality in Hindu temples and the reactions from Hindu communities of Kerala
and Maharashtra in India.
The subtopic is equality and inequality (women's rights). My research question is appropriate for
the subject that I am researching.
My research question is manageable within the word limit
The research question allows me more critical thinking. While progressing the research, I may
amend the research question to include more critical thinking in my research topic.
To make the study more methodological, I will travel to India and interview some key
personalities.
Viva voice 2

24. 24
After further research from after the last reflection session, I further improved from my initial
understanding of the topic as I was able to:
- Read old newspaper articles from a national library in Kerala about the evolving reactions of
women towards gender inequality within religion.
- Travel to India in order to interview two prominent social activists about the issue: Useful in
terms of attaining qualitative data to evaluate the case.
- Research adequate amounts of quantitative and qualitative data: This combination will provide
a fair distribution of both sides of the argument being explored in the research question.