Question

What similarities and differences do you see in the lives of
the women devotees ?​

Answer 1

Soweto, urban complex in Gauteng province, South Africa. Originally set aside by the South African white government for residence by Blacks, it adjoins the city of Johannesburg on the southwest; its name is an acronym derived from South-Western Townships. It is the country's largest Black urban complex.

Answer 2

Answer:

In a welcome move by the Shani Shingnapur temple trust, women worshippers were allowed inside the core area of the temple, putting an end to a 400-year-old tradition that allowed only men to enter the sanctum sanctorum. The decision came after much protest from women groups especially the Bhumata Brigade led by Trupti Desai. Some days ago, Desai was denied entry into the temple despite the Bombay High Court ruling which stated that there wasn't any law which prevented women to access any temple and that if men are allowed inside temples, women should be too. While the Shani Shingnapur temple moves ahead, there are other religious places in the country that need to accept and implement gender equality. Here's taking a look.

MAHALAKSHMI TEMPLE, KOLHAPUR

The Mahalakshmi Temple doesn't allow men or women in the sanctum Sanctorum and authorities state `crowd control' and `protection of the idol' as reasons. Though devotees follow the `rule' without question,Trupti Desai has other plans. The activist is all set to storm into the core area of the Mahalakshmi Temple in Kolhapur on April 13, thereby taking her crusade of gender-equality forward.

TRIMBAKESHWAR TEMPLE, NASHIK

The Shiva temple located around 30 kms away from Nashik is one of the 12 famed jyotirlingas and also one of the places that restrict entry to women in the core area. The temple trust was in the news recently after it banned entry to the inner sanctum for men as well as women, a move seen by some to be maintaining gender-equality.Though reports suggest that the temple has never `denied' entry to women, there has also been news about people associated with the temple being unhappy about `breaking the age-old tradition'. Interestingly, mythology mentions the Ardhanareshvar form of Lord Shiva which depicts a union of masculine and feminine forms and energies.

SREE DHARMA SASTHA TEMPLE, SABARIMALA

The Lord Ayyappa temple here denies women of `menstruating age'; which means a woman between the ages of 10-50 cannot enter the temple because this is the age wherein she can be menstruating. The matter is currently in the Supreme Court but despite efforts from activists, the temple authorities as well as the Kerala govt is firm on their stand. It should be noted that the legend associated with Dharma Sastha was that he was born out of the union of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu (who had taken the form of Mohini). SREE PADMANABHASWAMY TEMPLE, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Considered the richest temple in the world, the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple houses treasure vaults. When it comes to worship, the temple has a weird rule. Women devotees can worship the deity but shouldn't come inside the temple chambers. Women inventory officials too aren't allowed into the treasure vaults and a few years back, the temple authorities even restricted entry to a woman expert from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). KARTIKEYA TEMPLE, PUSHKAR

Lord Kartikeya is the son of Lord Shiva and considered as the God of War. The temple at Pushkar celebrates Kartikeya's brahmachari form and restricts entry to women. It is believed that women who enter the temple are cursed and not blessed. There is another temple in Pehowa, Haryana that celebrates Kartiyeka's brahmachari form and like the temple at Pushkar, women are not allowed in the temple. PATBAUSI SATRA, BARPETA

Concentrated in Assam, the satras are Vaishnavite centres where the Ekasarana traditions are propagated and upheld. The Patbausi Satra in Barpeta denies entry to women because menstruation is considered `unclean' here. Despite former Assam governer JB Patnaik having entered the place with a group of women back in 2010, the ban on women entry was reinstated later. HAJI ALI DARGAH, MUMBAI

The dargah houses the tomb of Sufi saint Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. In a reply to the Bombay High Court which had asked the trustees of the dargah to reconsider allowing entry to women inside the central shrine, the trustees wrote, `entry of women in close proximity of a grave of male Muslim saint is a grievous sin as per Islam and as such governed by Constitution law and particularly Article 26 of the Constitution, which confers upon the Trust a fundamental right to manage its own affairs of religion and as such interference is uncalled for by any third agency'.