In their second round of protests in less than two months against the gender bias at places of worship, more than 100 women activists owing affiliation to the Bhumata Rangranai Brigade (BRB), led by Trupti Desai, were detained when they were on their way from Pune to Nashik to storm the Trimbakeswar temple seeking an entry into its sanctum sanctorum.
After trying unsuccessfully to storm the Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district on January 26, the BRB women activists were heading to Trimbakeswar temple from Pune by a bus on a similar mission. They were, however, detained by the police at Nandur-Shingote, 95 km from the temple town of Trimbak.
Trimbakeshwar temple houses one of the 12 jyotrilingas. The women activists had chosen the occasion of “Maha Shivaratri” to storm the Trimbakeshwar temple in their bid to force their entry into its sanctum sanctorum.
Ahead of the protests by the women activists, the Trimbakeshwar Temple Trust had made its stand clear that the ban on entry of women into the sanctum sanctorum was an age-old tradition and it was not something enforced in recent times. “We however allow women to have darshan from outside the core area,” trustee Kailas Ghule said.
Talking to media persons at Nandur-Shingote, Desai said: “This (detention of women on their way to Tribakeshwar temple) is not done. Women cannot be denied their right to enter the temple. Do you call this ache dinIJ What is CM (Devendra Fadnavis) doingIJ At least he should wake up now and provide justice to women”.
Earlier, while embarking on the journey to Trimbakeshwar temple along with 100-odd activists from Pune, Desai had said: “On this auspicious day, we hope that the local administration will allow us inside ‘garbhagriha’ (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple. If we are restricted, it would be an insult to women on the eve of International Women’s Day and on the day of Maha Shivratri...”
“Since the Chief Minister had supported us on the Shani Shinganapur issue, we hope that we will not be stopped en route today and will be allowed to enter the ‘garbhagriha’ of the temple,” Desai said.
However, the police had elaborate arrangements to prevent the women activists from heading towards Trimbak town. “We have deployed extra police force and also placed barricades to restrict the women activists heading towards the temple town. We have done this to maintain law and order of this small town,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Praveen Munde said.
Meanwhile, the Trimbakeshwar temple management justified their decision not to allow women into the sanctum sanctorum, saying that it was age-old tradition. “While we allow women to have ‘darshan’ from outside the core area, it has been an age-0ld practice not to allow women inside the sanctum sanctorum.. There is a restriction even in the case of men who are not allowed into the sanctum sanctorum for an hour between 6 and 7 am on all days”.
Desai had earlier in the morning contested the authorities’ stand to deny entry to women inside the Trimbakeshwar temple, saying: “Trimbakeshwar temple house one of the 12 jyotirlings. Among the 12 jyotirlings, the one at Kashi Visheshwar is the biggest one. When the authorities at the Kashi Vishweshar temple have no issue in allowing women into ‘garbhagriha’ there, what is holding the Trimbakeshwar temple management from following the suitIJ.
In a related development, Maharashtra unit organiser of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti Sunil Ghanvat said that Hindu organisations would prevent from entering the sanctum sanctorum of Trimbakeshwar temple.
“Every temple has its own different traditions. Similarly, in Tryambakeshwar Temple, which is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga of Bharat, only half-naked men wearing sovale (clean, washed, silk or cotton dhoti) are allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The tradition is several hundred years’ old. This tradition was respectfully followed by many lady VIPs including former President Pratibhatai Patil, late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Rajashthan’s current chief minister Vasudharaje Sindhia,” Ghanvat said.
Given that they had taken elaborate precautionary measures, the Nasik police did not have to face a high drama akin to the one witnessed on January 26, when the Ahmednagar police intercepted and detained 500-odd BRB activists at Supe toll naka, while they were on their way to the Shani Shingnapur temple.
On that occasion, the crowds had become unmanageable for the police considering that the women protesters were travelling in 7 buses and 15 cars.
The failed attempt by the BRB women activists on the occasion of Republic Day had come in the wake of a sensation that a still-to-be identified woman from Pune had created by breaking a five-century-old taboo, climbed up to “chauthara” (a platform) housing the idol of lord Shani on November 28 last year.
The act of her performing puja had been captured on the CCTV of the temple the following morning. Irked by the incident, the temple management sacked seven security personnel and “purified” the idol by performing an “abhisheka” with milk on the following day.