Men too can’t enter temple now

Nashik, April 3

The Trimbakeshwar Temple authorities here today imposed a restriction on men's entry too into the sanctum sanctorum of the Lord Shiva shrine with an aim to provide "equal treatment" to both the genders, a trustee said.

The decision, which takes effect from tomorrow, comes in the wake of the Bombay High Court verdict giving women equal right to men with regard to entry into temples.

The development comes a day after Bhumata Ranragini Brigade’s Trupti Desai and 25 other women activists were taken into preventive custody to stop them from entering the inner sanctum of the famous Shani temple in Ahmednagar's Shignapur village. They were later released.

The ancient temple, located 30 km from Nashik, is a major Lord Shiva shrine of the country, which has one of the 12 'jyotirlingas', drawing devotees from far and wide.

According to a member of the Trimbakeshwar Temple Trust, the ban on the entry of women into the 'garbhagriha' is an age-old tradition and not something enforced in recent times. The ban goes back to the Peshwa period.

As per tradition, only men were allowed entry daily between 6-7 am into the area where the main 'linga' is placed, that too by putting on a specific gear called the sovala (silk clothing).

Women, can, however have 'darshan' from outside the core area.

Some priests in the temple town said most of the women devotees might not want to defy the tradition.

Seeking to give a scientific dimension to the practice, they said there are certain rays that concentrate in the core area which could probably be harmful to the health of women. — PTI