Kerala police sources on Wednesday said they looking into media reports that two women in their forties had entered the Sabarimala temple earlier in the day.

According to TV channels, Kanakadurga, 42, and Bindu, 44, claimed they had entered the holy shrine of Lord Ayyappa. They made efforts to enter the shrine in December but returned because of protests.

According news reports, the women trekked to the hill shrine and a video showed them entering it, wearing black clothes and with their heads covered.

Police sources in Thiruvananthapuram, quoting director-genera of police Loknath Behara, said details were being collected.

Bindu, a college lecturer and Left activist from Kozhikode, and Kanakadurga, a civil supplies employee from Malappuram, had come to Sabarimala on December 24 after 11 women activists of a Chennai-based outfit were chased away by devotees.

The temple was opened on December 30 for the Makaravillaku festival and there has been a heavy rush of pilgrims.

The president of the Travancore Devaswom Board, A Padmakumar, said he had no information about the two women.

Devaswom officials have been asked to chceck CCTV footage.

The temple had witnessed protests from frenzied devotees over the entry of women in the 10-50 age group in the shrine after the CPI(M)-led LDF government decided to implement a Supreme Court order allowing all women to offer prayers there.

The Opposition Congress-led UDF and the BJP have been opposing this.