Sabarimala: Consensus eludes at stakeholders' meet, TDB to

: Consensus eluded a crucial meeting called by the Travancore Devaswom Board Tuesday to resolve the vexed issue of entry of women of all ages into the shrine in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict.

However, TDB, which manages over 1,200 temples in the state, including the Lord Ayyappa Temple, said talks with the stakeholders would continue to find a solution.

In an apparent climb down from its earlier stand that the Board was not ready for a review,TDB indicated that the matter would be taken up at its meeting slated for October 19.

The meeting, attended by various stakeholders of the shrine, including temple tantries (head priest), Pandalam royals, Ayyappa Seva Samajam and Yoga Kshema Sabha, failed to arrive at an agreement as TDB stuck to its stand of not going for a review petition against the Supreme Court order.

Representatives of the Pandalam royal family walked out of the meeting as the Board refused to concede their demand to take a decision on filing the review petition Tuesday itself.

However, TDB President A Padmakumar told reporters later that the meeting was not a "failure" and the Board wanted to settle the issue and go ahead with the talks with the people concerned again.

"What they (stakeholders) wanted was to file the review petition now itself. But the Supreme Court is closed till October 22. They also wanted to maintain status quo of the customs and traditions," he said.

"As the Supreme Court has passed a verdict, what can the Board do? But the Board will continue talks with them to resolve the issue," Padmakumar added.

The TDB chief also said that a Board meeting called on October 19 would take the matter of the review petition.

Expressing displeasure over the TDB's stand, Pandalam royal family member Shashikumar Varma said "it is very painful and we cannot agree with it".

"Though we wanted a decision on filing a review petition to be taken today itself, the Board said it can be discussed only at TDB'S next meeting, slated for October 19," he said.

"We all wish that Sabarimala should not be made a war zone," Varma, president of Pandalam Royal Palace Trust,added.

Besides Varma, temple tantries Kandaru Rajeevaru, Kandaru Mohanaru and Kandaru Mahesh Mohanaru and N Velayudhan Nair, the general secretary of Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangam were among those attended the meeting.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan maintained that the CPI(M)-led LDF government would not go for a review petition and it would implement the apex court order.

The Sabarimala Temple, located on the mountain ranges of the ecologically fragile Western Ghats, opens tomorrow for the first time after the recent Supreme Court order, permitting entry of women of all age groups there.

The shrine, which will open for the monthly pooja tomorrow evening, will close on October 22 after the five-day monthly puja during the Malayalam month of Thulam.