The protestor who was injured in violence in Pathanamthitta district after two women of menstruating age group made history on Wednesday when they stepped into the Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa, scummed to injuries late night.

The entry of women had sparked violent protests across Kerala by the BJP and Hindu right outfits, with the state secretariat turning into a veritable war zone for nearly five hours as the ruling CPI(M) and workers of the saffron party clashed, pelting each other with stones.

A Sabarimala Karma Samithi worker, 55-year-old Chandran Unnithan sustained injuries on his head during the clash between BJP and CPM workers in Pandalam.

Unnithan, who was allegedly injured in stone pelting, was rushed to a hospital but could not be saved. An investigation into the matter is underway.

The two dauntless women--Kanakadurga and Bindu--aged 44 and 42, stepped into the hallowed precincts guarded by police three months after the Supreme Court's historic judgement lifting the ban on entry of girls and women between 10 and 50 years of age into the shrine of Lord Ayyappa, its "eternally celibate" deity.

The duo, draped in black and their faces covered in veils, entered the temple at 3:38 am, a day after over 35 lakh women stood shoulder-to-shoulder across the national highways in Kerala, creating a 620 km-long human 'wall' from the northern end of Kasaragod to the southern tip in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the state-sponsored initiative to uphold gender equality.

Meanwhile, a dawn-to-dusk 12-hour hartal called by Hindu outfits began Thursday morning in protest against the entry of two women.

As per initial reports, auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers were plying at the railway station in the state capital and various other places.

But in Kozhikode, protesters blocked vehicles and burnt tyres in the morning.

The hartal, which began at 6 am, has been called by Sabarimala Karma Samithi, an umbrella organisation of various pro-Hindutva groups, spearheading protests against the Supreme Court's September 28 verdict, and Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP).

The BJP is supporting the shutdown while the Congress-led UDF is observing a "black day" on Thursday.

Kerala DGP Loknath Behera has said strict action will be taken against those flouting rules of law and order during the bandh.

Meanwhile, a Kerala government-run hotel in Tamil Nadu was attacked by unidentified persons in suspected backlash over two women of menstruating age entering the Sabarimala temple in the neighbouring state.

The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation-run facility on the arterial Greams Road was attacked tonight, a police official told PTI, adding a probe was on.

According to initial inputs, the outer glass panes in the hotel, including those at a security kiosk, were damaged in the attack, he said.

"As soon as we got a call, the local strength (of personnel under Thousand Lights jurisdiction) was rushed there," the official said.

Though the attack was suspected to be a fallout of two women entering the Sabarimala temple in neighbouring Kerala, the official said since the probe was at a "very preliminary stage" nothing could be confirmed as of now.