Women in temples

Following the court orders, the Shani Singnapur temple has lifted the centuries old ban and allowed women to enter the inner sanctum of the temple. The government has pledged to make a law prescribing six months jails to anyone stopping women from entering the temple and offering prayers. A trustee of the temple said that women will neither be encouraged nor discouraged to enter the temple. Earlier the temple had imposed a ban on the entry of men as well to circumvent the court ruling that men and women should have equal rights to enter and worship. Following the lifting of the ban, two women were seen entering the temple and more were expected to follow.
The lifting up of the ban on women is a positive step towards gender equality. It is a victory for various activists who fought against this age old discrimination on the basis of sex.