W hen the Travancore Devaswom Board announced its plan to organise the Global Ayyappa Sangamam, a global meet of Sabarimala devotees, in September, few expected it to expose another fault line in Kerala’s uneasy relationship between faith and politics. That a Left Front Democratic (LDF) government, which has long been proud of its commitment to rationalism, embraced the language of faith and devotion sparked a wave of reactions, ranging from scepticism and ridicule to outright opposition.

In 2018, the LDF had enforced the Supreme Court verdict allowing women’s entry into Sabarimala despite opposition from many devotees in the State. This cost the Left Front dearly in the 2019 elections. By organising the Global Ayyappa Sangama, the LDF appeared to be conducting a re-branding exercise to

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