Policewomen on duty at Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple- viral claim is false, video shows Pamba Ganapathy Temple

This viral video shows policewomen on duty at the Pamba Ganapathy Temple, not the Ayyappa Swamy Temple.

Sabarimala is a famous Hindu pilgrimage site in Kerala, India, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, known for its challenging trek and stringent vows, attracting millions yearly, especially during the Mandala-Makaravilakku festival (Nov-Jan) when the temple is open for worship. It is the rituals and traditions associated with the pilgrimage to Sabarimala that sets this temple apart from the rest of the temples in India. As per traditions and customs, women between 10 and 50 years of age were not allowed to enter into Sabarimala Temple. But in September 2018, a landmark judgement of the Supreme Court of India ruled that all Hindu pilgrims, regardless of gender, could enter the temple. But the government had backed away from implementing the verdict, respecting the interests of the devotees. 

In this context, a video is going viral on social media with the claim that it shows policewomen officials stationed at the Ayyappa Swamy Temple in Sabarimala.

The video shows three young women dressed as police officers walking along the crowded Sabarimala pilgrims’ path and climbing the temple steps. The caption of the post states, “Kerala communist government breaking Ayyappa Temple rules to allowing young women inside temple”.

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Fact Check- 

Upon investigation, we found that the video depicts policewomen stationed at the Pamba gateway, rather than inside the Ayyappa Swamy temple. Pampa is the crucial base camp and spiritual heart of the Sabarimala pilgrimage, a scenic river valley where pilgrims bathe in the holy Pampa River (believed to cleanse sins), offer prayers at the Pamba Ganapathy Temple, and begin their arduous trek to the Sabarimala temple.

The women police officers seen in the viral video are deployed in Pamba, not in Sannidhanam. Pilgrims will get the help and support of women police officers all the way to Pamba. 

We spoke to Sannidhanam police officials for further clarification. Special Duty Sub Inspector Saju provided the following explanation: “There are women police officers and forest officials serving up to Pamba. However, there are no women officials beyond that point. The video depicts the Pamba Ganapathi temple and its surroundings, which will be familiar to those who have visited Sabarimala. Additionally, there are no women above the Pamba for other services. Therefore, the description in the video is incorrect”.

If you watch YouTube videos about the temple, you can recognize that the temple featured in the video is the Pamba Ganapathy Temple. This temple is 4 km from the Ayyappa temple. The steps that the female police officers descend at the beginning are the same ones leading to the temple.

We also checked the images of the Pamba Ganapathy Temple uploaded by users on Google Maps. We found that the surroundings in the viral video clips are like the photos and videos uploaded to Google Maps. 

So, we can understand that the viral video clearly shows the policewomen on duty at the Pamba Ganapathy Temple, not the Ayyappa Temple.

Conclusion- 

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be False. This viral video shows policewomen on duty at the Pamba Ganapathy Temple, not the Ayyappa Swamy Temple.