Can women enter vavar mosque

Kozhijampara police arrested three women from Tamil Nadu who were on their way to the Vavar mosque at Erumely in Kerala. Vavar mosque located en route to the Sabarimala hill shrine is frequented by several Ayyappa devotees as part of their pilgrimage itinerary,

Vavar mosque, however, like most Muslim places of worship, does not permit women to enter the prayer hall.

“The can women enter vavar mosque had announced that they would enter Vavaru mosque in retaliation for women entering at Sabarimala. Hence they were arrested in the border while trying to enter the state," Kozhinjampara police told local media.

According to TheNews minute, the three women, identified as Revathy and Susheela Devi hail from Tiruppur and Gandhimathi in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli. They are associated with the Tamil Nadu based Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK).

The group has been slapped with charges under section 153 A of the IPC (Promoting enmity between different vava voom premium portable wireless speaker review on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc) and will be presented before the magistrate after the police record their arrest.

Earlier last month (18 December), the firebrand leader of Hindu Makkal Katchi Arjun Sampath had accused Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of deliberately hurting sentiments of a large number of Ayyappa devotees by using his police to escort women inside the Sabarimala temple.

Sampath also said that he would send women devotees to the Vavar mosque which is consistent with Kerala government’s policy of encouraging women to visit places of worship while resisting traditional practices.

Last week, acting on the instruction of the Chief Minister’s Office, two ultra-left activists Bindu Ammini and Kanaka Durga were smuggled into Sabarimala Temple in the wee hours using state power. This was termed by many as mocking the faith of millions of Swami Ayyappa devotees, who have respected the temple’s tradition.

They were declared heroes ('sheroes' to the hardcore feminist) in the cause of gender equality and religious vav hawaii concert. Many devotees saw it as a malicious bid by the CPM led Left front government to trample on Hindu sentiments.

The can women enter vavar mosque arrest of Hindu activists is likely to be viewed as another instance of CPM’s hypocrisy and double standards which has been accused of trying to destroy the Sabarimala temple tradition and infringing upon the rights of innocent devotees.

Tamil women who wanted to enter the mosque dedicated to Vavar were taken into custody by the police. Three of the six women, who are in the custody of Kozinjambara police, are workers of Tamil Makkal Kakshi. They were taken into custody at Velanthavalam checkpost.

The women demanded that they want to enter the mosque after entering Sabarimala temple. As the police felt that this will cause rani ki vav elixir, they were taken into custody. Their vehicle too has vav hawaii concert taken into custody. The vavos clambake recipe are being questioned.

After receiving information that more activists from Tamil Nadu might reach Sabarimala, the police are taking extra precautions and are carrying out can women enter vavar mosque at checkposts.

Earlier, the police has stopped a woman who was part can women enter vavar mosque a 70 member group from entering the temple saying she did not have the documents to prove her age. Thr group had come from Sri Lanka but had members who were from Sri Lanka and the UK. The woman said that as she did not want to create any problems she was going back and did not insist on entering the temple.

Every devotee who wants to visit Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala first can women enter vavar mosque the Vavar mosque at Erumeli. Vavar, a Muslim saint is often referred to as Vavarswami by the devotees. They circulate around the mosque and chant the names of Ayyappa as well as Vavar.

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While the Sabarimala temple in Kerala was in the eye of the storm last week as protests raged against allowing women of menstruating age into the sanctum sanctorum, the Vavar mosque remained peaceful as ever.

The mosque is named for the Muslim friend of Sabarimala’s presiding deity Ayyappa. It is a tradition for Ayyappa’s devotees to pay obeisance at the mosque in Erumely, also known as Ninar mosque, before heading to the temple around 40 km away in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The mosque is sandwiched between two Ayyappa shrines, the small Cheriyambalam temple and the big Valiyambalam temple.

As always, pilgrims thronged the mosque when Sabarimala was opened for five days of monthly prayers on October 17. They circumambulatedthe mosque, broke coconuts on the premises and donated money. Inside, Muslim devotees offered namaaz five times a day.

Vavar is integral to the legend of Sabarimala. The story goes that he helped Ayyappa slay the demon princess Mahishi at Erumely. When, after his victory, Ayyappa left for Sabarimala, he asked Vavar to stay put at Erumely. Can women enter vavar mosque then told his devotees that whenever they wanted to go see him at Sabarimala, they should first visit Vavar.

Sabarimala attracts lakhs of pilgrims during the Mandala, Makaravilakku and Vishu seasons. This year, Mandala starts on November 17, Makaravilakku in the second week of January and Vishu on April 14. The temple is also open to the public for the first five days of each month in the Malayalam calendar. Ecy-vav installation of the pilgrims to the temple visit the mosque as well – over 80%, according to the mosque’s administrators. Outside of Kerala, most of the visitors come from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Telangana and Odisha.

“This is a shining example of religious harmony,” said TS Abdul Kareem, the imam of the mosque. “We are proud to be part of this vava bistro bedok reservoir tradition.”

Kareem, who is 93, was given the responsibility of leading vav hawaii concert daily prayers at the mosque after his father’s death in 1952.

PH Shajahan, president of the mosque’s administration committee, said they expect pilgrims to “pour in” during the Mandala and Makaravilakku seasons. “We are providing a lot of additional amenities such as purified drinking water, toilets and parking spaces for the pilgrims this time,” he said.

Prasad Kumar, 35, a teacher from Kerala’s Kochi, is currently observing the mandatory 41-day regimen of austerity in preparation for the Mandala pilgrimage. He said he will certainly visit the mosque. “This will be my fourth visit to Sabarimala,” he added. “On each of the previous occasions, I paid obeisance to Vavarswamy – or Vavar, as he is called by the devotees. It gives me immense satisfaction. The Sabarimla pilgrimage isn’t complete without visiting the Vavar mosque. It also sends out a strong secular message.”

‘Tradition of many years’

The mosque is believed to have been built around 500 years ago, though there are no records to establish this. It apparently started out as a thatched hut and underwent periodic renovations. Today’s imposing can women enter vavar mosque structure is the result of the last renovation, in 2001. “It was a tile-roofed structure when my father was the imam,” said Kareem.

Ayyappa devotees do not enter the mosque’s main prayer hall. “There is no tomb to offer prayers,” said Shajahan. “So they go around the prayer hall.”

They never turn their backs to the mosque. “They walk back slowly with prayers on their lips,” Shajahan added. “It shows the intensity of their devotion to Vavar.” vav hawaii concert pilgrims then visit Erumely’s two Ayyappa temples for prayers. “It is a tradition of many years,” said Vishwambharan, a retired employee of the Travancore Devaswom Board, which administers the temples.

‘Celebration of communal amity’

Erumely hosts two big festivals during the Mandala and Makaravilakku seasons. The Vavar mosque committee organises the Chandnakkudam procession on the 26th of the Malayalam month Dhanu while the Devaswom Board hosts the Petta Thullal the following day. This can women enter vavar mosque, the first festival falls on January 10, 2019.

On the first day, three caparisoned elephants welcome pilgrims to the mosque. Accompanied by traditional Kerala drums, Can women enter vavar mosque, and music, the pilgrims take out a procession through Erumely before returning to the mosque at 3 am the next day. “We spend about Rs 4 lakh on the procession every year,” said Shajahan.

Petta Thullal starts later in the day. It involves folk artistes performing a “spiritual dance” to reenact Ayyappa’s victory over Mahisha. They start the performance at Cheriyambalam, then head to the Vav zant mosque and, finally, Valiambalam where they are received by the Devaswom Board officials.

“The two festivals are a shining example of communal amity in Erumely,” said Vishwambharan.

‘Business in Erumely thrives’

The pilgrimage seasons end up filling the coffers of both the mosque and the two temples. “We received Rs 35 lakh in cash last year,” said Shajahan. “We also receive offerings such as pepper, rice and clothes which are auctioned at the end of the season and fetch additional revenue.”

Some special offerings, though, are kept as showpieces. “We have kept a bow and arrow made from the sacred five-metal alloy that was offered by a devotee can women enter vavar mosque years ago,” he said.

The Devaswom Board’s officials did not respond to Scroll.in’s queries about the collections at the two temples.

The pilgrimage seasons also benefit local traders. “Business in Erumely thrives during Mandala-Makaravilakku,” PS Hareesh, who runs a shop selling souvenirs in the town.

‘We won’t buy into divisive agenda’

However, not everyone is happy with the celebration of Vavar alongside Ayyappa. PK Sasikala, leader of Hindu Aikyavedi, an affiliate of the Sangh Parivar, said in an interview last year that she did not believe Ayyappan and Vavar were friends. But if they were, she added, Vavar could not have been Muslim. Sasikala was publicly articulating what Hindutva groups in Kerala have been arguing for long.

Their arguments, however, have not cut much ice with the people of Erumely.

Shajahan said Erumely has a rich history of tolerance. “Hundreds of pilgrims visited the Vavar mosque on the day the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992,” he added, by way of an example. “Muslims devotees too offered prayers on that day.”

Aneesh Hassasn, who owns a shop in Erumely, said “communal groups” have been trying to denigrate Vavar with the aim of causing social unrest. “People in Erumely will not buy into their divisive agenda,” he added. “We will preserve the communal amity.”

KG Shyju, who runs a restaurant in the town, echoed can women enter vavar mosque sentiment. “Vavar and Ayyappa make Erumely a holy land,” he vav hvac box. “We will not allow anyone to divide our society and change our traditions.”