The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple is a Hindu temple institution located on a hilltop in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, dedicated to Lord Ayyappan, who is worshipped as a celibate deity. The temple's origin is rooted in the legend of Lord Ayyappan, the son of Shiva and Mohini (Vishnu's female avatar), who instructed the King of Pandalam to build the shrine. The verifiable written record of the temple dates back to 1818.
The traditional mechanism of worship involved a ban on the entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 years, based on the belief that their presence would violate the celibacy of the deity. This practice was legally upheld by the Kerala High Court in 1991 and was protected by Rule 3(b) of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules, 1965. The pilgrimage is also connected to the tradition of devotees observing a 41-day period of celibacy and austerity.
The temple's status changed significantly with the Supreme Court's judgment in Indian Young Lawyers Association & Ors. v. State of Kerala & Ors. on September 28, 2018. The Court, by a 4:1 majority, ruled that the exclusionary practice violated the right to equality under Article 14 and the right to freedom of religion under Article 25 of female worshippers, and struck down Rule 3(b) of the 1965 Rules. The judgment connected the issue to fundamental rights, including the prohibition of discrimination under Article 15 and the abolition of untouchability under Article 17. However, the matter was not fully settled, as the Supreme Court referred the case to a larger seven-judge constitutional bench on November 14, 2019, to review the scope of religious freedom under Article 25 and Article 26.