 According to the legend, Lord Ayyappa, the main deity of the Sabarimala temple, has taken a vow to remain in the state of eternal celibacy ("nitya-brahmachari") in his form at Sabarimala Temple.As such the shrine restricts entry to women of reproductive age (10 to 50 yrs).This restriction was previously challenged as well, however, the Kerala High Court had upheld the restriction in its 1991 judgement.