A woman, who announced her decision to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa shrine, on Monday complained that she was being slut-shamed and subjected to threats and abuses on social media.

Emboldened by the Supreme Court order permitting entry of women of all age groups into the hill temple, Reshma Nishanth, a 32-year-old native of Kannur, recently put a Facebook post stating that she would visit the shrine.

On September 28, a five-judge constitution bench, headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, lifted the ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine.

Reshma said she had already started the 41-day vrata (penance) to trek to the forest temple during the annual pilgrimage season beginning on November 17. She also started wearing the ‘bead chain’ with Lord Ayyappa locket as part of the customary rituals before proceeding to Sabarimala.

“A large number of people have extended support to my decision to visit the shrine. But, slut-shaming and body shaming are also going on against me,” she said.

“Soon after I announced my wish and decision to offer prayers at the Ayyappa temple, threats and abusive comments are flooding the social media platforms,” she said.

A group of people, suspected to be people who oppose the implementation of the Supreme Court order, on Sunday had raised slogans in front of her house and threatened that she would not be allowed to enter Sabarimala at any cost.

However, an unperturbed Reshma had expressed hope that the state government and police would provide necessary protection to her.

Some other young women would also accompany her during the pilgrimage, she added.