For years, women of "menstruating age" had been barred from entering the shrine. However, in September, India's Supreme Court overturned the ban, allowing women of all ages to visit the temple.Fathima and a female scribe had walked their way to the hilltop shrine and reached the main temple premises in October, before they were forced to backtrack following a stand-off with devotees metres from the temple sanctum.
Fathima was arrested at her office in the city of Cochin on Tuesday, her friend and feminist activist Arathy SA was quoted as telling the BBC. A magistrate sent her to prison for 14 days to allow police to investigate the charges against her, she added. She has also been accused of hurting religious sentiments.
Her employer, the government-run telecom company BSNL, has put her on suspension till the probe is over.
In the Facebook post, Fathima can be seen wearing a black dress, her forehead smeared with sandalwood paste, and her knees pulled up in front.
A police case was registered against her as her photograph was found to be "sexually explicit" and "wounded the religious feelings of Lord Ayyappa's devotees".
She filed a petition in the lower court to stop the police from arresting her. But the court turned down her request, after which she was arrested.
On Thursday, Fathima's family said they had applied for bail and that her plea would be taken up on Friday.
Her friend Arathy told the BBC that Fathima did not intend to hurt anyone's religious sentiments or do anything that was sexual or offensive.
She said when Fathima put up the photograph on Facebook, she received many abusive comments and even rape threats.
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