Eight Temples in India that bar entry of women

1500 women marched into the Shani temple in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra to fight for gender equality. While the temple is visited by millions the whole year-round, entry of women has been barred in its inner sanctum where the idol is placed. And most importantly, this is not the only temple, where religion plays a big role on who may enter and who may not. There are other temples as well that bar women from entering into its premises following ages-old traditions and rituals. Today when we demand gender equality in all walks of life then why face inequality in religious places? Here we bring you a list of temples that are culprits of not letting women enter:

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Shani Shignapur

Well, the top most in the list has to be the trending one. While the men can go and offer prayers to the Shani idol located in the temple, women, at no point of time, are allowed to enter the inner sanctum. The temple trustees are strictly against the idea of women entering the temple. And they have many times openly expressed their concern against it.

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Sabrimalai Temple of Lord Ayyappa

This temple situated in the state of Kerala at the Periyar Tiger Reserve, was very much in the news last year for the same reason. The temple trustee chief had apparently announced that the temple will allow women only when a machine is made to check if the women entering the temple are menstruating or not. How insane can it get?! Actually, the temple has a history that the bachelor Lord Ayyappa positioned himself in the temple after killing a dangerous demoness Mahishi. And since he was a celibate, no woman in her menstruating years is allowed to enter the temple and try to lure the lord out of his meditation. This is also true for the millions of men entering the temple. It is one of the world’s largest annual pilgrimages and how saddening it is that women cannot be a part of it.

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Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Another one from Kerala, this temple is built in the Malayinkeezhu village of Thiruvananthapuram. The irony related to this temple is that it is the temple of Shree Krishna and we are all well-aware of the Lord Krishna’s nature and his love affairs. However, this temple has a slightly different story, two Pushpanjali Swamiyars of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, again bachelors, had to spend six months in this temple and that is why entry of women is disallowed here. The ban was enforced on the temple during the rule of a Travancore ruler Sree Moolam Thirunal.

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Kamakhya Temple

This temple in Guwahati, Assam is home to “Goddess” Kamakhya Devi. Get it? This is a very interesting as this temple does not have an idol to worship to. Actually in the name of an idol, it has the vagina of Goddess Kamakhya to which people offer their prayers. And bigger striking factor is that women are not allowed in the temple while menstruating. I mean, beat that level of crazy!

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Pir Haji Ali Dargah

This is again a very famous religious place where each year millions of people of all religion hoard to offer a chaddar to the tomb of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. Actually, it is not long ago when the ban was imposed on the entry of women again in the inner core of the dargah. The ban was put in between 2011-2012. It is as if going back into the stone-age as this is not progressive at all. The trustees of the dargah think that Islam does not allow women in the vicinity of the grave of a Muslim saint.

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Jain Temple

Rajasthan is the state where you can find this temple. And as extremely evident from the name itself, the temple is maintained by the people of Jain dharma. While the temple does allow women ONLY WHEN THEY ARE NOT MENSTRUATING, the permission does come with its own set of does and donts. While you may enter, you will have to cover a lot of yourself including your liberal mindset when you visit this temple.

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Mangal Chandi Temple

Another one in the ironical slot, this temple is the abode of Goddess Chandi. While this temple is home to a female deity, women are still not allowed to enter the premises. This 200-year old temple from Jharkhand only accepts offerings from men coming to the temple. Women are not allowed from 50metres distance to the temple. It is said that if women offer prayers to the goddess in this temple then it might displease the deity and bring misfortune. B.I.Z.Z.A.R.E!

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Kartikeya Temple

Women are not allowed in any temple wherever Lord Kartikeya resides in places like Haryana, Pushkar, Pehowa and Rajasthan. He is the ultimate celibate God and apparently he gets very aggressive if a woman enters the temple and tries to offer prayers. He curses the woman even if the woman has best of intentions. These are all the rumours around the temple and hence the ban seems quite legit.

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