Three women, including Swaraj organisation chief Vanita Gutte, perform prayers inside Trimbakeshwar Temple in Nashik, Maharashtra, on Thursday. (Photo: PTI)
Three women, including Swaraj organisation chief Vanita Gutte, perform prayers inside Trimbakeshwar Temple in Nashik, Maharashtra, on Thursday. (Photo: PTI)
Women were finally allowed entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the Trimbakeshwar Temple here on Thursday amid tight bandobast and a protest shutdown by the locals.
Pune-based Swarajya Mahila Sanghatna president Vanita Gatte, who led a three-member team into the sanctum of the temple, said they offered prayers at about 6.05 am.
This was a marked shift from the temples policy of restricting women’s entry to the inner sanctum, which has been the norm since the temple was built by the Peshwas in the mid-18th century, said sources.
Scared of police action, the trustees, priests and villagers did not offer resistance, but local merchants and villagers protested the darshan by women and observed a complete bandh in Trimbakeshwar town.
“We feel dhanya (blessed) to have taken darshan. We had to contest bitterly for this right and were even physically assaulted yesterday but this is a victory of stree shakti (women’s power),” she said.
“There was tight police bandobast led by assistant superintendent of police Dr Pravin Mundhe, PSI Kranti Nirmal, and others in the compound. There was a low turnout and just a small queue. However, we were ushered inside the sanctum and allowed to offer prayers,” Ms Gatte said.
Dr Pravin Mundhe said the police did its duty and the bandobast was good. “There was no obstruction and the devotees took a darshan peacefully,” he said on Thursday.
Earlier, on Wednesday, Ms Gatte and about 14 women were allegedly beaten up by priests, former municipal president and villagers when they attempted to enter the sanctum of Trimbakeshwar Temple in Nashik Wednesday morning.
Later on Wednesday, Ms Gatte lodged an FIR under various sections of the IPC and the Maharashtra Hindu Places of Public Worship (entry authorisation) Act. The cases were charged under various sections, including Sec 354 - outraging the modesty of a woman.
Ms Gatte had come for the third time to take darshan on Wednesday and was allegedly beaten up by an angry mob. The Trimbakeshwar Trust had earlier resolved on fixing one hour for darshan at the inner sanctum from 6 am to 7 am.
Tradition demands that only those wearing silk clothes or wet cotton clothes be allowed.
Ms Gatte was asked to come in wet cotton sari and by the time she arrived, the allotted timing was over.
Dr Mundhe further said on Thursday that three persons were arrested for the assault on the women. The priests and other persons named in the FIR are absconding, but we have arrested the three persons after going through a video footage of the incident.
The development came 13 days after women were permitted entry to the Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district on April 8.
On April 11, few women were allowed to enter the inner sanctum of the historical Mahalaxmi temple in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district.
