Pune: Dominos tumble, other temples gear up to let in women

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On Friday, the temple trustees of the Shani temple took the decision to allow women to climb up to the elevated core shrine housing the deity.

This comes days after a ruling by the the Bombay High Court that everybody has equal rights to worship. For the past few months, women activists of Bhumata brigade had carried out a series of agitation demanding that women be allowed to climb the pedestal. The women of the village had almost come to blows with the activists of Bhumata brigade who had tried to enter the sanctum armed with the high court order. Friday’s decision by the temple trustees, it is hoped, would draw the curtains on the ongoing controversies surrounding this shrine.

Two other temples, the Mahalaxmi temple in Kolhapur and the Triambakeshwar Jyotirling in Nashik, had also been in news when women activists tried to enter the inner sanctum of the temple but were prevented by the authorities there. A few days back, women activists in Kolhapur were physically restrained when they tried entering the inner sanctum of the temple.

Triambak Kailash Ghule, a trustee of the Triambakeshwar temple, said they had never prevented women from entering the temple. “We are yet to get the copy of the high court’s order. Once we get the order, we will study it in details. However, the shrine had never prevented the entry of women,” he said.

Ghule pointed out that although women from outside the Triambkeshwar village had restricted access to the temple, the women of the village have always been allowed entry. “The sevadars have been allocated certain days to carry out worshipping rituals. It is up to them to allow it to be done by a man or a woman. The temple committee has no say in the matter. In the future also, it’s up to the sevadars to allow who they want,” he said.

Ghule, however, said that crowd control was a major challenge for them, given the congested area of the temple complex.

At the Mahalaxmi temple, neither man nor women are allowed inside the inner sanctum of the temple while only men devotees are allowed to sit for customary rites inside. Ajit Thanekar, a senior priest at the temple, said they might think of changing that tradition if asked by the temple committee. “Crowd control is a major issue for us. Also, given the historic age of the both the idol and the temple, too much humidity can cause serious problems. Experts have asked us to control humidity and crowd control is crucial for it,” he said.

Thanekar said that back in 2011, there were massive agitations by all political parties in Kolhapur when women had entered the sanctum. “Those who want access to the inner shrine should think about all the questions,” he said.

While women continue to struggle to realise their right to worship the 900-year-old Vitthal Rukmuni temple at Pandharpur, the last two years have seen a silent revolution during which two women priests being appointed at the shrine of Rukmani. This decision was taken by the temple authorities after the Supreme Court dismissed the hereditary rights of worship of two families of Badve and Utpat.

Urmilla Bhate, one of the two priests serving at the temple, welcomed Friday’s decision. “As a woman, I am very proud of the fact that we have fought this war with our self-confidence. It is a progressive step,” she said.