For all those who have been following the news from my home state of Maharashtra in India, it is a well known fact that the burning issue over the last one week has been the issue of women not being allowed to worship at the main shrine in the famous Shani Shingnapur temple, in Ahmednagar district. When I wrote a post last month about my Double Helping Of Divine Blessing, I did not mention the fact that we had been, in fact, thrice blessed that day last July, because on our way back from the temple town of Shirdi, our driver suggested that we stop at Shani Shingnapur and seek blessings there too. My sister in law and I eagerly agreed and that's how we reached this famous temple, dedicated to Lord Shaneshwara, who is believed to be a personification of the planet Saturn.
A unique aspect about this temple is that the houses in the village where it is located, have no locks on their doors and in some cases no doors at all! The villagers believe that the protection of this God is so strong that no crime will ever occur here. And they have been proved right till date, as not even petty thievery from houses has been reported for the last many decades!
There is no sanctum sanctorum in this unique temple. There is just a platform on which the 'swayambhu' (self manifested or that which is created by its own accord) idol stands, in black stone. As we got out of my car, we were immediately surrounded by throngs of vendors, each one eager to sell us a bottle of mustard oil and black sesame seeds, which is how Lord Shaneshwar is traditionally worshipped. But much to their disappointment, neither my sister in law nor I are huge believers in mere ritualistic worship, (we would rather buy oil and donate it to our house help than pour it over an idol and see it go waste) and so we refused to buy any. Our main aim, when we visit temples, is to give Thanksgiving to God, above all else, and then seek His protection and blessings, as our families go about their daily lives and to help us accept His will, over our own.
Last week, a group of women legally challenged the fact that they are not allowed to climb onto the main platform which houses the Deity in this temple. Feel free to put it into Google search and sure enough you will see that the temple website (chances are high it was even designed by a woman, given the number of women software techies India has!) says women cannot worship this God, up close and personal! When I visited this temple I wasn't even aware of this rule, as the whole platform had been cordoned off and men, women and children could only worship from a distance. This was fine by us. Either every one is allowed there or no one is! These courageous women held demonstrations, blocked the highway off which this temple is located and finally forced the state government to intervene and say they would look into the matter! Women in other parts of India rapidly caught onto this issue and began agitations in other places of worship, both Hindu and Islamic, where women are not allowed into certain core areas. It's a status quo right now and we will soon come to know the outcome.
What I found strange and what no one talked or wrote about (or if they did, I did not hear or read it), is the main reason why women in India are banned from entering areas where the main Deity is, in a handful of ancient temples. The sad and completely unscientific reason is that women in India are considered to be 'impure' during a certain time of the month and are not supposed to venture into any place of worship, for fear that they will 'pollute' the vicinity and God forbid, that happen in God's own 'house'!
Most temples leave this decision to enter or not, to the discretion of individual women, but a few are still imposing a blanket ban, which today's women are determined to fight! I read an article on Facebook recently which said women were originally banned from entering places of worship as they radiated a lot of powerful energy during this time, which would result in the deviation of God being the main focus in a temple! I find this hard to believe.
I prefer to look at it in a practical manner and feel that for hundreds of years and right up to a few decades ago, women did not have adequate protection during this time of the month and traditionally used and laundered and reused pieces of cotton cloth. So they were, more often than not, not fit to be seen publicly, as sarees and other garments invariably got stained. Also given their busy schedules of cooking from scratch and cleaning in joint families and endless number of kids to look after and elaborate religious ceremonies to prepare for almost every month, these were the few days of the month when, being banned even from their own kitchens, they could just sit down and rest!
My point is, that was in the past. Why now? The multinationals, with their endless prime time advertisements, have promised and given us state of the art protection and urged us to do anything and everything we want during those days! We shower twice a day, cook and teach our kids and go out to work, party and watch movies. Then why not visit the temple too? Almost all the women I know euphemistically whisper (pun intended, Proctor and Gamble's Always is called Whisper in India), that they cannot enter the temple as 'it's not the right time'. Some even go a step further and take pills to tamper with their natural cycle, if there is a religious event in their own house, during, what they believe is the wrong time of the month! You were taught this by your own mother or grandmother. But I would like to know where it says so in our scriptures and why would anyone feel or be made to feel, that that they are soiled or impure for four or five days out of thirty or thirty one?
I agree, may be you were brought up that way and now find it hard to change your mindset. But my sincere request is please do not let your daughters grow up believing this! Do not impose such 'sanctions' when you have daughters in law. I know that a few of my own daughter's friends back home, from highly educated families, are banned from the kitchens of their own homes during periods, as the deities are housed there. Teach your kids, both boys and girls, the basics of hygiene and decent behaviour and set them free!
In my own case, it's my choice to enter public temples on any day of the month that I want and worship my own Gods in my own house or in my parents' house, all the days of the month. However, I do take care to inform the lady of the house in orthodox households if it's that time and I am invited to a religious ceremony there. If given the go ahead, I seek blessings from their deities. If not, I just enjoy the delicious food and come home! That is simply because I don't want them to feel I have compromised their Gods and their beliefs, NOT because I agree with them. But I would not want my daughter to even think of doing such a thing and I would definitely want her to clamber right up on the main platform at Shani Shingnapur on ANY day of the year she chooses to do so. Or not! It's entirely a women's prerogative!
By writing this, I probably just nixed all future invitations to religious events from all those who usually invite me, but that's fine! I prefer to worship my God, my way, on any given day!
The temple at the heart of the current controversy!
P.C : Blessings On The Net.
A unique aspect about this temple is that the houses in the village where it is located, have no locks on their doors and in some cases no doors at all! The villagers believe that the protection of this God is so strong that no crime will ever occur here. And they have been proved right till date, as not even petty thievery from houses has been reported for the last many decades!
There is no sanctum sanctorum in this unique temple. There is just a platform on which the 'swayambhu' (self manifested or that which is created by its own accord) idol stands, in black stone. As we got out of my car, we were immediately surrounded by throngs of vendors, each one eager to sell us a bottle of mustard oil and black sesame seeds, which is how Lord Shaneshwar is traditionally worshipped. But much to their disappointment, neither my sister in law nor I are huge believers in mere ritualistic worship, (we would rather buy oil and donate it to our house help than pour it over an idol and see it go waste) and so we refused to buy any. Our main aim, when we visit temples, is to give Thanksgiving to God, above all else, and then seek His protection and blessings, as our families go about their daily lives and to help us accept His will, over our own.
Last week, a group of women legally challenged the fact that they are not allowed to climb onto the main platform which houses the Deity in this temple. Feel free to put it into Google search and sure enough you will see that the temple website (chances are high it was even designed by a woman, given the number of women software techies India has!) says women cannot worship this God, up close and personal! When I visited this temple I wasn't even aware of this rule, as the whole platform had been cordoned off and men, women and children could only worship from a distance. This was fine by us. Either every one is allowed there or no one is! These courageous women held demonstrations, blocked the highway off which this temple is located and finally forced the state government to intervene and say they would look into the matter! Women in other parts of India rapidly caught onto this issue and began agitations in other places of worship, both Hindu and Islamic, where women are not allowed into certain core areas. It's a status quo right now and we will soon come to know the outcome.
What I found strange and what no one talked or wrote about (or if they did, I did not hear or read it), is the main reason why women in India are banned from entering areas where the main Deity is, in a handful of ancient temples. The sad and completely unscientific reason is that women in India are considered to be 'impure' during a certain time of the month and are not supposed to venture into any place of worship, for fear that they will 'pollute' the vicinity and God forbid, that happen in God's own 'house'!
Most temples leave this decision to enter or not, to the discretion of individual women, but a few are still imposing a blanket ban, which today's women are determined to fight! I read an article on Facebook recently which said women were originally banned from entering places of worship as they radiated a lot of powerful energy during this time, which would result in the deviation of God being the main focus in a temple! I find this hard to believe.
I prefer to look at it in a practical manner and feel that for hundreds of years and right up to a few decades ago, women did not have adequate protection during this time of the month and traditionally used and laundered and reused pieces of cotton cloth. So they were, more often than not, not fit to be seen publicly, as sarees and other garments invariably got stained. Also given their busy schedules of cooking from scratch and cleaning in joint families and endless number of kids to look after and elaborate religious ceremonies to prepare for almost every month, these were the few days of the month when, being banned even from their own kitchens, they could just sit down and rest!
My point is, that was in the past. Why now? The multinationals, with their endless prime time advertisements, have promised and given us state of the art protection and urged us to do anything and everything we want during those days! We shower twice a day, cook and teach our kids and go out to work, party and watch movies. Then why not visit the temple too? Almost all the women I know euphemistically whisper (pun intended, Proctor and Gamble's Always is called Whisper in India), that they cannot enter the temple as 'it's not the right time'. Some even go a step further and take pills to tamper with their natural cycle, if there is a religious event in their own house, during, what they believe is the wrong time of the month! You were taught this by your own mother or grandmother. But I would like to know where it says so in our scriptures and why would anyone feel or be made to feel, that that they are soiled or impure for four or five days out of thirty or thirty one?
I agree, may be you were brought up that way and now find it hard to change your mindset. But my sincere request is please do not let your daughters grow up believing this! Do not impose such 'sanctions' when you have daughters in law. I know that a few of my own daughter's friends back home, from highly educated families, are banned from the kitchens of their own homes during periods, as the deities are housed there. Teach your kids, both boys and girls, the basics of hygiene and decent behaviour and set them free!
In my own case, it's my choice to enter public temples on any day of the month that I want and worship my own Gods in my own house or in my parents' house, all the days of the month. However, I do take care to inform the lady of the house in orthodox households if it's that time and I am invited to a religious ceremony there. If given the go ahead, I seek blessings from their deities. If not, I just enjoy the delicious food and come home! That is simply because I don't want them to feel I have compromised their Gods and their beliefs, NOT because I agree with them. But I would not want my daughter to even think of doing such a thing and I would definitely want her to clamber right up on the main platform at Shani Shingnapur on ANY day of the year she chooses to do so. Or not! It's entirely a women's prerogative!
By writing this, I probably just nixed all future invitations to religious events from all those who usually invite me, but that's fine! I prefer to worship my God, my way, on any given day!
P.C : Blessings On The Net.
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