A day after protests and violence in Kerala against the entry of women of menstruating age at the famous Sabarimala temple, the state government has banned the gathering of more than five people in Sannidhanam, Pamba, Nilakkal, and Elavungal - the base camps from where devotees head to the hill-top shrine. A 12-hour state-wide shutdown has been called today by a group that calls itself the Sabarimala Protection Committee. Many shops are shut and vehicles are off the roads.
