Temples are supposed to be places of worship, where people can seek an audience with their deity or congregate in reverence of a common God.
But like a true ‘expectation v/s reality’ meme, the actual scenario is starkly different. Temples have become commercial establishments, where people are treated like herds of animals ushered in and out before they can even finish a prayer.
In today’s times too, many temples hold on to ancient rituals, like not allowing women to enter their premises. But it looks like things could finally change for one of them.
Having received numerous petitions seeking entry for women in the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, the Supreme Court on Friday referred the petitions to a five-judge Constitution bench.
The Sabarimala temple is one of the one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, with an annual footfall of approximately 45-50 million devotees. However, women between the ages of 10-50 years, which is normally the menstrual age, are not permitted inside the temple because the deity, Lord Ayyappa, was a celibate.
The question for the bench was thus framed:
“…if the exclusionary practice, which is based upon a biological factor exclusive to the female gender, amounts to discrimination and thereby violates the very core of the Constitution?”
However, while the Kerala government has welcomed the decision, the same cannot be said for the board that runs the temple.
In a statement that was sure to draw the ire of the government and the public, President of the Travancore Dewasom Board (TDB), Prayar Gopalakrishnan, has claimed that allowing woman entry into the temple would turn it into a “spot for sex tourism like Thailand”.
Yep, you read it right. THAILAND. You know the place you go to worship AND indulge in immoral activities? Here’s what he had to say, according to Hindustan Times.
“If women are allowed, we can’t ensure their security. We don’t like to convert it as a sex tourism spot like Thailand. Even if the court opens its doors I don’t think self-respecting women will dare to go up to the hill shrine.”
But wait! There’s more. He even talks logistics, because god forbid one of the most popular pilgrimage sites would have enough funds to arrange adequate security for its visitors.
Also, entry for woman = chances of immoral activities.
“It is an age-old tradition and all are bound to respect it. If women are allowed in rush hours it will lead to many issues. Nobody can ensure their security. There are chances for immoral activities also.”
If you can’t find the right words to express your annoyance after reading this, we feel you. But this isn’t Mr. Gopalakrishnan’s first rodeo!
We got a pretty decent glimpse of his misogynist ideals two years ago when he wanted a scanner to detect menstruation in women so they could be stopped from entering the temple because they were “impure”.
This was merely within two days of his appointment! His statement sparked a major counter-campaign on social media, where woman posed with sanitary napkins, tampons and placards, saying ‘Happy to Bleed’.
The State Government has already spoken out against Gopalakrishnan’s ridiculous statement and is now demanding an apology.
Says Temple Affairs Minister Kakampally Surendran,
“I don’t know how he made such a foolish comparison. He insulted women and pilgrims alike. He should withdraw his statement and tender an apology.”
Damn right, he should!
Now we don’t know whether this hugely discriminating practice will finally be struck down or not. Maybe Mr. Gopalakrishnan will issue a half-baked apology because of all the outrage.
But what will not change is this extremely dogmatic perception of men that denigrate perfectly natural acts like menstruation as something impure. Furthermore, the supposed ‘immoral acts’ that the board is so afraid of are a product of the perverse male psyche and not the fault of women.
Let women enter or don’t let women enter your temple, but insulting one of God’s very own creations is the ultimate blasphemy that you can commit.