A group of persons under the banner of Ayyappa Dharma Sena on Wednesday prevented a family from Andhra Pradesh from trudging up the forested path to Sabarimala temple.
The police said the pilgrims included a 45-year-old woman, Madhavi, her father and her children.
Even as police cleared the way for the family through the protestors at Pampa, another set of Sena activists stopped them as they ascended the forest path to the hill shrine.
The workers asked the woman her age and said she could not proceed as it was against the temple tradition.
The family told television reporters that they had no option but to turn back.
