Woman priest at Ayyappa Temple in Karnataka

Amidst the huge uproar over Kannada actress Jayamala’s claims to entered the sanctum sanctorum of Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala in Kerala, the existence of an Ayyappa Temple in Karnataka’s Kolar district, where priest is a woman, has come to light.

Built on a four-acre plot, the Ayyappa Temple in Kolar does not impose any restrictions on entry of women into its premises. The chief priest of the Ayyappa Temple is not only a woman, but also a Dalit.

The priestess Shanta Kumari, who also happens to be an officer of Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS), claims to have constructed the Ayyappa Temple along with her husband after the deity came in her dreams six years ago. “After our return from Sabarimala, the deity came in my dream and asked me to construct the Temple”, Shanta Kumari said.

Shanta Kumari does not only manage the Temple’s affairs, but also worships the deity in the sanctum sanctorum of the Temple every day.

Hundreds of devotees have been thronging the Ayyappa Temple in Kolar, situated at a distance of about 100 kms from Bangalore. Though entry of women into the Temple is not prohibited, women aged between 10 and 50 years have to take permission of the authorities before entering the Temple premises.

“When God is with us, nobody will raise objections”, Shanta Kumari said when her attention was drawn to the furore over entry of women in the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala.

When she decided to construct an Ayyappa Temple, Shanta Kumari said she did not take the services of priests, craftsmen or engineers. “I constructed the Temple with the help of ordinary labourers with the instructions of Lord Ayyappa, my husband and myself. I have taken the role of a mother. I not only worship the deity, but also all other work of the Temple”, she said.

The Temple has been named Shanta Malai Ayyappa Temple. The Temple also proclaims that Ayyappa is the third son of Shanta Kumari and her husband.