“Women’s Right to Worship in India” 

Author: Sanchi Mehta, LLB Students

I was filling a morbid declaration form and realized that this really is a man’s world. The form offered me two compelling options to declare my identity, ‘wife of’ or ‘daughter of’. With one tick mark my escape was prohibited. I was securely consigned to my man’s world, once again. Whether at the work place or otherwise, the glass ceiling manifests itself in new and interesting ways. Ever wondered why a board on a road under construction always reads ‘Men At Work, Drive Slow’, never mind the fact that woman too might be slogging it out in the sun? Or why a manager’s output continues to be measured in the terms of man-hours or man-days when there are hundreds of working women around? Now one can argue that most of these unwritten rules are man-made but that only further reinforces the fact it is, after all,”a man’s world.”

Women are no less than outstanding, be it in business, politics, entertainment, sports or whatever. They must be provided with ardent invigoration and their spirits must be kept high to delete the term ‘impossible’ from the dictionary. Like Sarojini Naidu, Jhansi Lakshmi Bai and Indira Gandhi who exemplified women empowerment with their deeds.

Recently one of my friends visited a temple in North Delhi. She and her mother were standing in the que to make offerings to the deity. When she was standing in the que she started to feel uneasy and that very moment she realized that she had got her period. As they were proceeding in the que she told her mother about it. A priest standing adjacent to her heard that and told her to immediately leave the temple as menstruating women are not allowed in temples.

In a secular country like India, which promises to protect the rights of its citizens to practice religion and faith of his or her choice, such rulings are a violation of one’s rights.Women who are menstruating are considered impure and kept out of religious activities and domestic chores like cooking in many traditional Hindu families.

The recent rulingby the Sabrimala temple in Kerala is that it will only allow women to enter if a scanning machine isdesigned to ensure none of them are menstruating. The Sabarimala temple is one of a few in India which bars entry to women aged between 10 and 50 years old, saying that menstruating women are impure. Discrimination against menstruating women is common in some parts of south Asia, where they are forbidden from entering houses or temples and taking part in festivals and community events.

A religious leader in India has said allowing women into a temple in Maharashtra will lead to an increase in rape. Shankaracharya Swaroopanand’s comments come just days after a 400-year long ban was overturned, allowing women access to the Shani Shingnapur temple shrine. It is a serious issue—where these forces are proclaiming themselves as supreme power above the State, although not in words but in acts.

Mr. Swaroopanand told reporters: “Women should not feel triumphant about visiting the sanctum sanctorum of Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra,” India’s the tribunesaid.

“They should stop all the drum beating about what they have done. Worshipping Shani will bring ill luck to them and give rise to crimes against them like rape,” claimed the 94-year-old.

Chief Justice D.H. Waghela and Justice M.S. Sonak said: “There is no law that prevents entry of women in any place. If you allow men, then you should allow women also. If a male can go and pray before the deity, why not women? It is the State government’s duty to protect the rights of women.”

“If it is the sanctity of the deity that you are worried about, then let the government make such a statement. Under the Maharashtra Hindu Place of Worship (Entry Authorization) Act, 1956, if any temple or person prohibits any person from entering a temple, then he or she faces a six-month imprisonment,” the court said. As a result, the temple board were forced to open their doors to women, and other temples across the country which don’t currently permit female worshippers are facing increasing pressure to do the same.

Surprisingly, that even in the 21st century where gender equality has come a long way, such prejudices still exist.

Such narrow-mindedness will stand where if a question was asked that even Lord Shani was given birth by a woman. Why is this still a taboo? How are we supposed to fight the greater issues if we create issues that don’t make sense?

The empowerment of women means giving women power and opportunity so that they can join the workforce and contribute to the family income and influence the family and social affairs. It is an important concept for both global and national development.In the past women were confined within the four walls. They were kept away from out of home productive work. The hearth became their workplace. So, cooking, cleaning, washing, giving birth and rearing children became their jobs. Men became the bread earners and all other outdoor activities were their responsibilities.

The constitution of India guarantees to all Indian women equality (Article 14), nodiscriminationby the state (Article 15(1)), equality of opportunity (Article 16) and equal pay for equal work (Article 39(d)). In addition it allows special provisions to be made by the state in favor of women and children (Article 15(3)), renounces practices derogatory to the dignity of women (Article 51(A)(e)) and also allows for the provisions to be made by the state for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief (Article 42).

Hindu texts present diverse and conflicting views on the position of women, ranging from feminine leadership as the highest goddess to limiting her role to an obedient daughter, housewife and mother. The Devi Sukta hymn of Rigveda, a scripture of Hinduism declares the feminine energy as the essence of the universe, the one who creates all matter and consciousness, the eternal and infinite, the metaphysical and empirical reality (Brahman), the soul (supreme self) of everything.The woman is celebrated as the most powerful and the empowering force in some Hindu Upanishads, Sastras and Puranas, particularly the Devi Upanishad, Devi Mahatmya and Devi-Bhagavata Purana

In Smritis, such as the Manusmriti, the position of women in Hinduism is mixed and contradictory. Manusmriti asserts that “as a girl, she should obey and seek protection of her father, as a young woman her husband, and as a widow her son”. In other sections, the same text asserts that “women must be honored and adorned”, and “where women are revered, there the gods rejoice; but where they are not, no sacred rite bears any fruit”. However, scholars have questioned the authenticity and corruption of the text over time, given the numerous inconsistent version of the Smriti manuscripts that have been discovered.

Places of worship that deny or restrict women’s entry undermine the fight for gender equality and have no constitutional right to do so, the Indian Supreme Court said, in the latest boost for women demanding equal access to temples, mosques and other holy sites.

Banning menstruating women to enter places of worship by priests is not new in India. What is interesting is that a few fundamentalist forces want to nurture and continue this practice in the name of religion and cultural practices. What needs to be argued is whether these priests or fundamental forces have the right to decide the appropriate behavior for women in religious places. Secondly, are these forces above the Constitution and the constitutional rights given to its citizens by the state? Finally, what is the role of the state in protecting and ensuring the rights of its citizens?

It seems that there is an increasing interest and inclination towards religion, and worship of gods and goddesses in recent years. It would be interesting to understand and explore this new found interest, its political economy and the forces behind it. Historically, many of these institutions haveplayed a significant role in nurturing patriarchy and disempowering women.

Nevertheless, the larger question is about the general exploitation of women by men from all religions.They are not given their rights and, at the slightest provocation, are maltreated, beaten, divorced and even murdered.

Religion is not meant for women. It’s meant to exploit women. We should reject all these religions which are dominated by patriarchy. We should have our own religion – of womanhood.

In spite of such drawbacks and hurdles that still prevail, Indian women (especially educated) are no longer hesitant or apologetic about claiming a share and visibility within the family, at work, in public places.These loose threads of patriarchal India now can no more stop Indian women from taking a stand against discriminating practices like these.

In the end I would like to conclude by a quote of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru- “To awaken the people, it is the women who must be awakened. Once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves, the nation moves.”

 

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Disclaimer:

This Article was prepared or accomplished by Sanchi Mehta in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of the LawOF.in

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