Sabarimala: Women defy historic temple ban

A centuries-old ban was broken when two women walked into a South Indian shrine.

The women, devotees of the temple deity, Lord Ayyappa, entered around dawn.

The Sabarimala temple was historically closed to women of "menstruating age" - defined as between 10 and 50. A Supreme Court decision in September 2018 overturned the ban but protesters had stopped women from entering.

After the women entered, more violent protests took place.