Millions of women have formed a human chain in India, gathered side-by-side in a monumental stand of protest for gender equality.
What has been dubbed the ‘women’s wall’ spans 620 km across the Indian state of Kerala, and reportedly involved about 5.5 million women.
Phenomenal! Never seen such a display of women power.
Down Down Patriarchy and Communalism #WomensWall pic.twitter.com/FtY4o45Chc
— Sudeep Sudhakaran (@SudeepSudhakrn) January 1, 2019
The peaceful protest was a product of the ongoing national controversy over the ban on women “of menstruating age” (applied as aged 10-50) from the Hindu Sabrimala temple in Kerala.
Despite a Supreme Court ruling in September that officially lifted the ban, antagonists have consistently gathered in thousands to keep women out of the temple by force. The unwillingness to give up the centuries-old traditional ban on women has sparked a nation-wide debate over the intersection of gender equality and religious freedoms.
The women’s wall is by far the most dramatic show of support India has seen for women’s right to worship wherever they wish, and the solidarity on display is a moving and inspiring sight to see.
Pictures from the #WomenWall #VanithaMathil pic.twitter.com/zsyXGVrqBX
— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) January 1, 2019
Transgenders from Kudumbasree – Kunnukuzhi, extending their support for #VanithaMathil.Together we learn, together we fight, together we survive.#WomensWall #OurRenaissance pic.twitter.com/VHsxFt0lG6
— Arjun Ramakrishnan (@aju000) January 1, 2019
In the wake of the women’s wall, under the cover of night, two women in their forties made the trek up to the Sabarimala temple and prayed there with a police guard accompaniment.
This marks the first successful temple visit by women since the ban was lifted three months ago, as the many other attempts were thwarted by devotees surrounding the temple.
Pinarayi Vijayan, the head of the Keralan government, showed his support for the women’s wall via Twitter, calling it a “momentous” occasion for all involved.
CM Pinarayi Vijayan warmly congratulates all who made Kerala's #WomensWall a great success. The 620 KM long gathering, organized to uphold the values of Kerala Renaissance, saw huge participation of women from all walks of life. This is a momentous occasion in our social life. pic.twitter.com/DiJlgzgSUO
— CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) January 1, 2019
The entry of the two women into the temple has prompted protests to break out across Kerala from groups of angry traditionalists, encouraged by the leaders of the conservative Bharatiya Janata party.
Unlike the peaceful women’s wall, these protests have required police intervention that includes the use of teargas and water cannon to disperse the protesters from outside government buildings in the state capital.
The Communist party, which rules Kerala, support the right of women to pray at the temple. However, the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, said in an interview on Tuesday that the ban was a matter of religious belief, not gender equality.
#WomensWall in Kochi ?
Never seen anything like this! pic.twitter.com/cpIGZgxqpm— Rahul Mathur (@weemundo) January 1, 2019
Basically, the traditionalists argument is that women of a menstruating age might tempt the temple’s primary deity, Lord Ayyappa, from his vow of celibacy. Though many merely see women of menstruating age and menstruation in general as impure.
When the Supreme Court lifted the ban, the then chief justice Dipak Misra said in his ruling that patriarchal beliefs do not take priority over equality in devotion.
“Religion cannot be the cover to deny women the right to worship. To treat women as children of a lesser god is to blink at constitutional morality,” he said.
Come January 22, the Supreme Court will hear a handful of petitions asking it to cancel its earlier ruling.
But the bravery and solidarity displayed by the formation of the women’s wall provides some home that the fight against outdated patriarchal oppression will eventually conquer.