Women entered Sabarimala with police protection: Pinarayi Vijayan

Police have given the two women security, the Kerala chief minister said.

After the women entered the temple a day ago, several activists called for a state-wide shutdown on Thursday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which opposes the Supreme Court's judgement allowing menstruating women to enter the shrine, has supported the strike. The Congress too sung in the same tune by announcing it will observe a "black day" on Thursday.

Video footage of the incident, where two women could be seen entering the temple, has gone viral on social media.

The women reportedly reached the temple around 3:45 am.

According to some media reports, these two women have been identified as activists Bindhu and Kanakadurga.

As per India Today report, the two women were accompanied by a small group of policemen in civil uniform.

However, after the women's entry,  the temple was closed for "purification rituals" 

On Sept 28, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court had lifted the ban on women's entry into the Sabarimala temple declaring the relevant rules as unconstitutional.

Following the top court's verdict, the shrine opened on Oct 18 for the first time allowing menstruating women, belonging to the age group of 10 to 50, to enter the temple.

However, several men and women had protested outside the temple, and tried to prevent the entry of women in the shrine.

For centuries, menstruating women had been banned from entering the temple in devotion to Lord Ayyappa.

Image: Pinarayi Vijayan Facebook