The United Malayaraya Mahasabha, representing the Malayaraya tribal community in Kerala moves to Supreme Court claiming that the Brahmans snatched the Sabarimala temple from the tribal community and demand that the temple be returned to them.
During a discussion in a Malayalam news channel, PK Sajeev, the general secretary of the United Malayaraya Mahasabha and a historian said that the Sabarimala temple was brahminised, the 41 days long penance and 18 steps were all later developments. Sajeev had said that the Sabarimala and Karimala temples belonged to the tribal communities and in 1902, the upper caste priest family snatched the power from them.
Sabarimala is the place where Ayyappa rests, Brahmins were snatching all our customs and traditions from us. The temples of Sabarimala and Karimala were in the possession of Malayaraya people. In 1902, the Thantri family claimed that it had installed power in the construction of the temple. The Malayala Valli was worshiped for many times in the Karimana and in the Sabarimala temples. They took away our rituals and the ritual of lighting the Jyothi in Ponnambalamum was snatched away from us.
Those who talk so much about the foster father of Ayyappa(Pandalam king) are keeping silence on Ayyappa’s actual father
said PK Sajeev.
Malayaraya, the word Malai Arayan means ‘Monarch of the Hills’ is one of the largest tribal communities in areas of Kottayam, Idukki and Pattanamtitta districts of Kerala. They are listed (Central List No – 20) as part of Scheduled Tribes by the Government of India.
Malayaraya community doesn’t see any men-women distinction in Sabarimala. Sabari was a woman who belonged to the Malayaraya community, clarified Sajeev.
M Geethanandan, coordinator of Gotra Mahasabha said that the right of non-Brahman communities to carry out prayer in Sabarimala is also important like the women entry.
We all know from historic records that Sabarimala was managed by the Malayaraya community till the turn of the 20th century but later it was snatched away from them and the temple is all about Brahmanic hierarchy now, which should change.
tribal activist M. Geethanandan told Times of India
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