In yet another significant victory for women and progressive activists seeking entry to temples, a group of women on Thursday entered the sanctum sanctorum of Nashik’s Trimbakeshwar temple and offered prayers.
This is a major departure from the tradition for the Shiva temple. The extraordinary feature of the Jyotirlinga located here is its three faces embodying Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Rudra. For close to 300 years, women were not allowed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
On Thursday morning, a group of women led by Vanita Gatte of Swarajya Mahila Sangathana, stepped into the sanctum sanctorum of the Trimbakeshwar temple and offered prayers. Two other women, Mayuri Deshmane and Hema Jha, accompanied her to the sanctum. The three women offered prayers together at 0605 hrs. There was altercation between the group and the locals on Wednesday morning, prompting Trimbak police to register a case.
"This is the victory of our Constitution which gives equal rights to men and women at religious places. We fought a long battle for getting entry inside the sanctum....it’s a victory for all women," Gatte said.
