Women protesting in Kerala, India. Photo: -/AFP/Getty Images

On Tuesday millions of women in Kerala, India, joined hands, creating what they called a “women’s wall” to protest the Sabarimala Temple’s ban on women of menstruating age. The temple is one of India’s holiest sites, and the practice of banning women from entering dates back hundreds of years. For 15 minutes, women formed a nearly 385-mile–long human chain to support the end of the practice.

Part of the women’s wall in Kerala, India. Photo: -/AFP/Getty Images

Two women, both in their 40s, entered the temple for the first time on Wednesday, following the protest. Bindu and Kanaka Durga walked into the temple with the support of police protection. After their visit, the temple was reportedly closed for an hour so that priests could purify the space. Following their visit more protests broke out, and police used tear gas to disperse crowds.

In September India’s Supreme Court struck down the ban, which included women from the ages of 10 to 50, according to CNN. In the months following, the temple became a site of protest from religious conservatives who disagreed with the ruling. India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata party, strongly opposed the decision and are calling for a reversal of the decision, according to The Guardian. Meanwhile, the ruling party of Kerala, which is the Communist Party of India (Marxist), supported the end of the ban.

This is how small town Kayamkulam took part of #WomenWall today. I traveled from Krishanapuram to Kayamkulam NH stretch. Surprisingly, the presence of women is almost double to actually required. The question when this land will really be able to stand up against the system. pic.twitter.com/e2QDZop8Tu — T Sudheesh (@sudheeshdc) January 1, 2019

Today more than 50 lakh women built a 600 kilometres long human chain along the streets of Kerala to uphold gender justice in the face of severe oppression.The progressive people of Kerala took oath that #Kerala society can not be sent back to the old dark ages.#WomenWall pic.twitter.com/NDzmTWLePl — Mayukh Biswas (@MayukhDuke) January 1, 2019

“There were so many women and there wasn’t even space for women to extend arms,” Subhashini Ali said to CNN. Ali was a protester and member of CPI(M). “If they had extended their arms, the length of the wall would have increased so much that women would be falling in the Arabian Sea.”

Tomorrow at 4pm IST, 5 million women will create a 620km long women's wall across Kerala against the regressive policies of BJP and RSS.



Godi media is trying to ignore this huge revolution, as they know it will tarnish the image of the Emperor.



Plz RT and spread the Word!!! pic.twitter.com/mgw2yzGRme — Advaid (@Advaidism) December 31, 2018

Subhashini Ali, Swami Agnivesh, Aruna Roy are all here for #WomensWall today in Ernakulam pic.twitter.com/DjJHHlIDq4 — Vishnu Varma (@VishKVarma) January 1, 2019