Women are celebrated as a divine presence in any given home in India. They are considered a re-incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi- either in her home or at her in-laws, a woman is always considered a blessing. But when these divine re-incarnations of Goddess Lakshmi are denied entry in temples- we know- it’s time to do something! There have been petitions sent to government and many other institutions and protests- for the time being!
Lets have a look at temples and other religious places where Women are banned!
Sabarimala:
Hindu pilgrimage in Kerala and is one of the largest annual pilgrimages in the world with over 100 million devotees visiting every year. Females who are in their menstrual age, i.e. between 12 and 50 years age, are prohibited entry into the temple. Recently, when the head priest of Sabrimala issued a statement of a scanning machine to detect ‘menstruating’ women; it caused quite a stir, not only in India but also in international news.
Haji Ali Dargah:
Located in Mumbai, women are restricted entry in the shrine since it would be ‘UN-Islamic under the sharia law’.
Padmanabhaswamy Temple:
Located in Kerala, women can pray in the temple, but they are not allowed to enter the vault of the riches.
Kartikeya Swamy Temple:
Located in Pehowa, Haryana, Kartikeya Temple is a famous temple dedicated to Hindu deity-Kartikeya. Women are strictly forbidden in the temple which celebrates the Brahmachari form of Lord Kartikeya
By: Archa Dave
