Bhumata Brigade chief Trupti Desai and other women activists offered prayers at the inner sanctum of the Nashik’s Trimbakeshwar temple, where the entry of women devotees inside the sanctum sanctorum had been prohibited.
Desai’s entry into the inner sanctum comes a day after activists, led by Vanita Gutte of Pune-based Swarajya Mahila Sanghatana, prayed inside the ‘garbha griha’ of the shrine that is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the 12 ‘Jyotirlingas’ in the country.
Bhumata Brigade activists have been protesting against the ban on entry of women inside temples.
Their agitations forced authorities of the Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar to yield to their demands earlier this month and allow women into the sanctum of the shrine.
Desai vowed to continue her fight against the differential treatment meted out to women at religious places.
“The way we were allowed to offer prayers at the inner sanctum today, women should be allowed respectfully in all temples across the nation. We will take our fight to a national level and meet Prime Minister Modi next month,” Desai said.
This significant development came 13 days after women were permitted entry to the Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district on April 8.
During the hearing on the Shani Shingnapur issue, the Bombay high court had ruled that entering a temple was a fundamental right of every person, after which the temple trust decided to allow women inside its premises.
