Men-only peak in Kerala opens for women trekkers

Strap: Kerala HC lifts tribal custom bar

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 14

Breaking yet another gender barrier, a woman on Monday started scaling Agasthyarkoodam, the second highest peak of Kerala, where the fair sex had been barred owing to an age-old tribal custom.

K Dhanya Sanal, armed with a recent High Court order which lifted the ‘unofficial’ ban on entry of women to the peak, began the arduous journey along with male trekkers through the traditional forest path from Bonacaud, located about 50 km from here.

Dhanya was the only woman in the first batch of 100 trekkers who set out to scale the 1,868-metre lofty peak, known for its panoramic beauty and unique biodiversity.

Clad in jeans and shirt and carrying a travel bag, Dhanya seemed confident as she manoeuvred her way through the 22-km-long forest path.

“The journey is to understand the forest more and share the unique experience with others,” she said before starting the journey.

Agastyarkoodam, located in the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, opened for the annual trekking for the first time after the Kerala High Court ruled last November that no gender-based restrictions would be imposed on trekkers.

The local Kani tribes living on the foothills have opposed the scaling of the lofty peak by women.

According to Kanis, the mountain range is the holy abode of their deity ‘Agastya Muni’, the mythical Hindu sage who is believed to be the guardian of the inhabitants. Women are traditionally not permitted to climb the peak, where his idol is located.

The Kerala Forest Department, which organises the trekking programme, said a total of 4,700 people had registered this year, of them 100 were women.

The trekking by women has garnered media attention as the development comes days after three women of menstruating age trekked Sabarimala and offered prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple, defying the traditional restrictions imposed on them.

Agasthyarkoodam is a reserve forest and a UNESCO heritage site.

The 47-day trekking programme to the peak will continue till March 1. PTI