Jayamala reiterates entering Sabarimala and touching deity of Ayyappa

Amidst snowballing controversy over her “sacrilegious” entry into the hill shrine of Sabarimala in neighbouring Kerala, Kannada actress of yesteryear Jayamala has reiterated that she entered the sanctum sanctorum of the Temple and touched the deity of Ayyappa, kept out of bounds for women aged between 10 and 50 years.

Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, Jayamala, an award-winning Kannada film personality, thanked her good fortune to have entered the revered shrine of Sabarimala in 1987 to pray for her first husband, the late “Tiger” Prabhakar’s speedy recovery, when she was around 28 years old.

But, Jayamala sought to lay the blame at the doorstep of the Temple authorities for furore created out of her confessional statement. “It is their mistake they went to the media with my letter. I sent the letter as a confession to God with sincere repentance”, she said.

Reacting to the doubts expressed over the veracity of her claims by the Temple authorities, Jayamala defiantly countered “How can they say I could not have done so ? I will draw a sketch of the Temple and how I went to it”.

Refusing to apologize to the Temple authorities for entering the hill shrine, revered by millions of devotees across India, Jayamala said “I will not apologize to any priest. It is their mistake to have gone to the press with the letter”.

Jayamala said her brother-in-law had recently called her up and told her that a newspaper report mentioned that a woman artiste was responsible for Ayyappa’s anger. “My family priest said this was the best time for repentance. It was a very personal thing for me. I faxed the letter myself. Now, I wish I had not been so sincere”, she said.

Jayamala said she was aware of her mistake since 1999 when she was told that she had offended the deity of Subramanya. “Since then, I have never touched an idol”, she said.