A breakthrough in the Sabarimala issue may be in sight after a meeting between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the royal Pandalam family.

According to sources, Vijayan asked the chief priest if they could allocate separate days for women to visit the Lord Ayyappa shrine. Earlier in the day, Vijayan had said his government may keep separate days for women devotees between the ages of 10 and 50 to visit the temple, which would open for the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season on Friday evening.