INDIAPOSITIVE
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2014
- Messages
- 9,318
- Reaction score
- -28
- Country
- Location
s many as 12 women on Wednesday entered the Shanaishwar temple at Solashi in Koregaon taluka of Satara district, after taking down a board outside which discourages women from entering.
TheGomutracleanse
reuters
Shanaishwar Devasthan Trust priests immediately "purified" the temple using 'gomutra' (cow urine), which angered the women activists who decided to file a complaint against the trust for violating the constitutional rights of citizens. "The act of entering the temple was planned so that we could send a message to shrines where women are not allowed to enter," said lawyer and activist Varsha Deshpande, who led the women.
"It was a Satyagraha. They have placed a board asking women not to enter the temple. We went there today and removed the board, then entered the temple and worshipped the idol. It is not unconstitutional," she said. Nandgiri Maharaj, chief priest of temple, which is popular in southern Maharashtra, objected to the act and said that the Hindu religion has rules barring women from entering the Shani temple. Deshpande and Nandgiri Maharaj engaged in a heated debate after the women entered, during which the later challenged the women to enter shrines of other religious institutions.
"We told him we were entering the temple because we are Hindu. Religion is a personal matter and should not be exhibited. We removed the board as it is derogatory to women. If women of other religions want to do the same thing, they are free to do so," Deshpande said.
The legacy of this temple
trakbook
The temple at Solashi was constructed some 8 years ago as the result of Nandgiri Maharaj's efforts. It attracts hundreds of devotees each month; especially those from nearby places. The devotees treat the temple as 'Prati Shani Shinganapur' or a replica of the Shani Shinganapur temple in Ahmednagar. It may be recalled that in November a woman climbed the security barricade at the Shani Shinganapur temple and entered the premises where the Shani idol is installed. Villagers and the Devasthan management "purified" the temple, which sparked a debate in Maharashtra over the tradition of barring women from entering the sanctum sanctorums of various temples.
For the last five years, activists in Kolhapur have been demanding that women be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Kolhapur's famous Mahalaxmi temple.
Women Barge Into Temple That Prohibits Women. Priests Purify It With Cow Urine After They Leave
TheGomutracleanse
reuters
Shanaishwar Devasthan Trust priests immediately "purified" the temple using 'gomutra' (cow urine), which angered the women activists who decided to file a complaint against the trust for violating the constitutional rights of citizens. "The act of entering the temple was planned so that we could send a message to shrines where women are not allowed to enter," said lawyer and activist Varsha Deshpande, who led the women.
"It was a Satyagraha. They have placed a board asking women not to enter the temple. We went there today and removed the board, then entered the temple and worshipped the idol. It is not unconstitutional," she said. Nandgiri Maharaj, chief priest of temple, which is popular in southern Maharashtra, objected to the act and said that the Hindu religion has rules barring women from entering the Shani temple. Deshpande and Nandgiri Maharaj engaged in a heated debate after the women entered, during which the later challenged the women to enter shrines of other religious institutions.
"We told him we were entering the temple because we are Hindu. Religion is a personal matter and should not be exhibited. We removed the board as it is derogatory to women. If women of other religions want to do the same thing, they are free to do so," Deshpande said.
The legacy of this temple
trakbook
The temple at Solashi was constructed some 8 years ago as the result of Nandgiri Maharaj's efforts. It attracts hundreds of devotees each month; especially those from nearby places. The devotees treat the temple as 'Prati Shani Shinganapur' or a replica of the Shani Shinganapur temple in Ahmednagar. It may be recalled that in November a woman climbed the security barricade at the Shani Shinganapur temple and entered the premises where the Shani idol is installed. Villagers and the Devasthan management "purified" the temple, which sparked a debate in Maharashtra over the tradition of barring women from entering the sanctum sanctorums of various temples.
For the last five years, activists in Kolhapur have been demanding that women be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Kolhapur's famous Mahalaxmi temple.
Women Barge Into Temple That Prohibits Women. Priests Purify It With Cow Urine After They Leave