Fadnavis hails temple trust lifting curbs on women

Mumbai

Welcoming the Shani Shingapur Temple Trust’s decision of allowing women devotees into the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said discrimination on the basis of caste and gender should be eliminated from the minds of the people keeping with the modern times.

“If we have to progress in this 21st century then it is important that we remove this concept of discrimination of caste and gender from the minds of the people completely,” Fadnavis said here.

The Temple Trust, on the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa –the traditional New Year in many parts of India–allowed female devotees entry inside the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine in Ahmednagar.

This happened after around 250 men from Shingnapur village entered the temple’s sanctum sanctorum and offered prayers to the deity (Lord Shani) on the occasion of ‘Gudi Padwa’, even as temple officials tried to prevent them.

It has been a tradition for male devotees to climb up the sacred platform (chauthara) of the temple and offer water after performing a ‘pooja’ on Gudi Padwa every year.

Fadnavis said the government had filed an affidavit in the High Court making its stand clear that it does not discriminate between men and women for worshipping any deity and we believe in equal rights to both the genders and the court has also acknowledged our stand.

The Bombay High Court had on April 1 held that it is the women’s fundamental right to go into places of worship and the government is duty-bound to protect it.

“Even after the directives, there occurred certain incidents which should not have happened. I strongly feel that there should not be use of police force when it comes to taking darshan,” he said.

Fadnavis further said discrimination was never part of the Indian culture or Sanatan Dharma but was introduced later.

“Though law will do away with such discrimination but mentality of the society needs to be changed if we really have to progress,” he added.

The debate over the issue escalated after a woman last year tried to enter and offer prayers at the Shani Shingnapur temple, in ‘breach’ of the age-old practise of prohibiting entry of women.

After the agitation for women’s entry gained momentum over the last few months, the temple authorities had barred men also from entering the sanctum sanctorum.

Shani Shingnapur temple lifts curb on women

Ahmednagar

Yielding to a high voltage campaign by activists, the Shani Shingnapur temple trust today allowed women to enter the sanctum sanctorum, breaking the tradition followed for several decades.

Significanly, lifting of all gender barriers for access to the core area came on the auspicious occasion of “Gudi Padwa”, marking New Year by people across Maharashtra.

Sayaram Bankar, a trustee of Shani Shingnapur temple, said the trustees held a meeting today and decided to facilitate unrestricted entry to all devotees including men and women, in keeping with the high court directive.

“We will welcome (Bhoomata Brigade leader) Trupti Desai also if she comes for darshan,” he said, referring to the campaign spearheaded by the outfit for breaking the tradition followed by the Lord Saturn shrine.

Temple trust spokesman Haridas Gaywale also said, “The trust has at the meeting decided there will not be any discrimination and today all parts of Shani temple are open for all.”

The Bombay High Court had on April 1 held that it is the women’s fundamental right to go into places of worship and the government is duty-bound to protect it.

The debate over the issue escalated after a woman last year tried to enter and offer prayers at the Shani Shingnapur temple, in ‘breach’ of the age-old practice of prohibiting entry of women.

The agitation for women’s entry gained momentum over the last few months, even as the temple authorities had later barred men also from entering the sanctum sanctorum.

Desai welcomed the decision of Shani Shingnapur temple trustees to open gates of the sacred “Chauthara” for men and women devotees, and said it was a “wise” step on their part.

“Der se aye lekin durusta aye” (It was late but in the end correct decision),” she said reacting to the development that signalled a victory for her prolonged fight against gender discrimination at places of worship.

“We are happy that the temple trustees have taken a wise decision eventually,” she told PTI.

Desai said she and her group of activists would be soon leaving for Shani Singnapur to offer prayers at the temple.

She hoped that trustees at Trimbakeshwar and Mahalaxmi temples in Nashik and Kolhapur respectively, too would take similar decision to end injustice against women devotees.

Earlier in the day, around 250 men from Shingnapur village entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in the village and offered prayers to the deity on the occasion of ‘Gudi Padwa’, even as the temple officials tried to prevent them.

About 250 residents of Shingnapur village reached the core area of the temple and had ‘darshan’ as a part of their annual ritual, police inspector Prashant Mandale of Shani Shingnapur told PTI.

The trust members objected to their entry resulting in tension, following which police rushed to the spot. MORE PTI SPK/HBJ Corr GK NM VMN

After hailing the development, Desai and her supporters left Pune for Shingnapur to offer prayers at the Shani temple.

Local men had brought sacred water of Godavari and Mulay rivers from Pravara Sangam, about 40 kms from Shani Shingnapur and offered prayers.

It has been a tradition for male devotees to climb up the platform of the temple and offer the water after performing a pooja on Gudi Padwa every year.

The villagers said that it’s a local custom and matter of faith as they forcefully reached to prohibited area of the temple.

Desai said, “If a single man enters the sanctum other than pujari, the court orders have to be followed, everyone has to follow the order. The day has come today (when) we will enter the ‘shani’ platform.”

“This is our victory. It was our will power that we will enter the core area…you all must have been seen women activists were manhandled. Despite the odds women came forward with all preparations and might. This is victory of Bhumata Brigade, of our movement. It is also victory of gender equality.”

“Our fight has been going on for the past three-four months. We faced a lot of hurdles. We have been maligned, we were detained despite the court orders,” Desai said.

On media’s role in her campaign, she said “media has been with us and they also took a stand with us. This is media’s win as well.