'Women's Wall' Stretches Hundreds of Miles in Indian State of Kerala

Millions of women gathered in the southern Indian state of Kerala to form a 385-mile wall for gender equality on Tuesday, January 1, amid ongoing controversy over access to a temple.

Although the Indian Supreme Court ruled in September that the Sabarimala temple would open its doors to women of all ages, right-wing protesters prevented female visitors from entering the Hindu shrine.

The “women’s wall” was organised by Kerala state’s left-wing coalition government.

This video shows women in the town of Perambra in Kerala.

Officials told the BBC that about five million women turned up to form the chain, stretching from the northern tip of Kasaragod to the southern end in Thiruvananthapuram. Press Trust of India news agency estimated more than 3.5 million women took part in the event.

Thousands of men also formed a second “human wall” to show solidarity, the Times of India reported. Credit: Rashminoclgenam via Storyful