Maharashtra village purifies idol after woman offers prayers | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Maharashtra village purifies idol after woman offers prayers

Hindustan Times | By, Pune
Nov 29, 2015 07:27 PM IST

The idol of a famous temple dedicated to the ruling deity of Saturn was purified on Sunday after a woman broke a long-held tradition which bars females from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Hindu place of worship in Maharashtra.

The idol of a famous temple dedicated to the ruling deity of Saturn was purified on Sunday after a woman broke a long-held tradition which bars females from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Hindu place of worship in Maharashtra.

The temple dedicated to ‘Shani’ is located at Shingnapur, a town of 4,000 in Ahmednagar district and around 330 km northeast of Mumbai, where no house has doors but only the frames as entrances.(HT File Photo)
The temple dedicated to ‘Shani’ is located at Shingnapur, a town of 4,000 in Ahmednagar district and around 330 km northeast of Mumbai, where no house has doors but only the frames as entrances.(HT File Photo)

However, the unidentified woman found support from political leaders and rationalists who said that her defiant act on Saturday reflected the changing times in a country where gender bias is rampant in many parts.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Besides women, many places of worship in India also bar people from the so-called lower-castes from entering the sanctum sanctorum.

The temple dedicated to ‘Shani’ is located at Shingnapur, a town of 4,000 in Ahmednagar district and around 330 km northeast of Mumbai, where no house has doors but only the frames as entrances.

It is believed that the ruling deity of the town – where even the police station doesn’t have any doors -- punishes anyone involved in theft and robberies.

“It’s a long-held tradition at our village that women are allowed only till few meters from the Shani idol. We have never prevented women from offering prayers but they are not allowed on the platform (where the idol is placed),” said Sayram Bankar, president of the temple trust.

Villagers said the woman at the centre of the storm jumped over the barricade, offered prayers and then disappeared into the large crowd.

While justifying the milk ‘abhishek’ to purify the idol – a five-feet-tall slab of black rock -- Bankar said it was done to “respect the sentiments of villagers” who were unhappy over the way the woman touched the idol.

“As part of the penance, I have also offered to resign,” said Bankar.

Women of the village, interviewed by local television channels, also protested the violation of the tradition.

“Ours is a peaceful village where devotees throng in large number and follow tradition. What the woman did was not proper,” an unidentified woman in her sixties was quoted as saying.

Congress MLA Praniti Shinde – daughter of former Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde – said the woman “should be felicitated for doing what she did” and also promised to raise the issue in the winter session of the state assembly beginning in Nagpur next month.

Ranjanan Gavande, member of an organisation fighting for eradication of blind faith, termed the incident “revolutionary”.

(With PTI inputs)

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Yogesh Joshi is Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times. He covers politics, security, development and human rights from Western Maharashtra.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On