A 30-year-old woman was arrested in Sabarimala on Sunday when she attempted to gatecrash into the Sabarimala hill shrine, defying the ban on the entry of women under the 10-50 age group, in the temple.

The woman, later identified as Shelvi from Puducherry, managed to reach the front yard of the shrine by climbing the 18 holy steps before the police noticed her.

Shelvi, who was part of a pilgrims' group from Puducherry, was detained by the women police at Pampa. She was taken into custody for violating the ban on entry of women between 10 and 50 years, into the temple.

After questioning Shelvi, police said she was initially dissuaded by them from going up the hill at the foothills. But she managed to evade the security and reached the shrine,

where she was first spotted by a news photographer, who immediately alerted the police.

The ban on women of age group 10-50 entering Sabarimala temple made headlines recently when Kannada film actress Jaymala claimed that she had visited the temple about 21 years back, sparking a raging controversy.

While the state police investigated the incident, Jaymala's claim triggered a debate on the question of whether the ban on women should be challenged or not.