The Sabarimala Playbook Strikes Again; Politics as Misinformation

The Sabarimala pilgrimage is underway, and the Thanga Anki procession—the ceremonial journey carrying the golden attire to be adorned on Lord Ayyappa for the Mandala puja—which commenced from the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple on December 23, reached Sabarimala on December 26. Since the start of the pilgrimage, the shrine has been subjected to sustained online hate and disinformation. Recently, social media users shared a video of young women on official duty at Sabarimala, claiming that the Kerala government violated Sabarimala customs by facilitating the entry of young women into the shrine. However, this claim is misleading.

Why is the claim misleading?

On December 25, 2025, a user on X, identified in their bio as being linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), posted a video showcasing young women in uniform performing on their official duty at Sabarimala. The caption reads, “Kerala communist government breaking Ayyappa Temple rules to allow young women inside temple,” indicating that the government of Kerala has broken the rule of Sabarimala that traditionally bars women between 10 and 50 years old from entering the main shrine at the Sabarimala Summit.

The Tamil text on the video translates to,”Women should not enter the Ayyappa temple, but

Education will take you wherever you want.” As of December 26, the post garnered 3,18,200 views, 5,400 likes, and 1,900 reposts.

Supporting the notion of the claim, a user replied, “Provocation at best! These women cops are just pawns of a greater design!” In a similar response, a user remarked,”In Kerala, no one to support Ayyappa? In Tamil Nadu, no one to support Muruga?”

Another remarked,”I am a Sanatani Hindu. There’s absolutely no reason why this young woman in uniform or any of the other women should not enter any of our temples. We should stop all this human-made discrimination.”

Refuting the claim, a user commented, “Misinformation only ends up causing more unwanted issues, some even might believe it… Isn’t it safe to ask the pilgrims who visited the holy place and clear it up? Rather than making false accusations, those who are in confusion should visit the holy place and clear it themselves. It’s always the best.” While another user stated,”This is not ayyappa temple, it’s 4 kms away, and it’s the ganapathy temple at pamba. This is Kerala, whoever is behind this handle, note that, before spreading fake news.”

Another X user and a Facebook user also shared the video with the same caption on December 26.

How did we verify?

We examined the viral claim and discovered no reliable news sources or official reports that support it.

A reverse image search using the keyframes of the viral video led us to a clearer version shared on YouTube on December 16, 2025, using the hashtags #keralapolice, #keralaexcise, #sabarimala, and #2025.

As of December 26, the video has 8,483 views.

The Sabarimala area is primarily divided into two sections: the Sabarimala summit, commonly referred to as the Sannidhanam, which houses the main temple of Lord Ayyappa; and the Pamba base camp, located on the banks of the Pamba River at the base of the Sabarimala hill. Additionally, a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Ganapathy is situated at the Pamba base camp. Traditionally, women aged between 10 and 50 are prohibited from entering the Sannidhanam, while women of all ages are permitted to visit the base camp and the Ganapathy temple throughout the year.

Taking this as a cue, we used keywords such as “Pamba Ganapathy temple” and performed a keyword search, leading us to a YouTube video dated January 10, 2023, which gives a first-person view of the Pamba Ganapathy temple and the stairs leading to it.

We compared the keyframes of the viral video and the video shared on YouTube on January 10, 2023, and found similarities.

Furthermore, Offbeat Concerns contacted the Sannidhanam Police Station, where the Civil Police Officer on duty explained that female officers from both the Kerala Excise Department and the Kerala Police are deployed in the Pamba base camp area. He also affirmed that at the Sannidhanam, only female police personnel over the age of fifty are assigned to duty, thereby upholding the traditional rule of Sabarimala.

This analysis clarifies that the claim misleadingly suggests that the Government of Kerala defied the gender-based rule at Sabarimala.