are you guys out of your heads? this is borderline retarded! why the hell isn't a woman allowed to enter a temple? this is the most racist thing i have ever heard. do all you morons realise that it is a woman who gave you birth, a woman who kept you in her womb for 9 months and endured the pain which you would never be able to ever in your life endure no matter what?! now you discriminate against the very same sex who is responsible for bringing you in this world? wow, i don't know what you call it, but over here we call it thankless and selfish!
this disgusts me to the core, i cannot believe that people in the south were such thick skulls! i always had a high respect for them until now. this news made me feel like a dumb, ignorant indian and how much we have to improve. we should start pointing our faults to other countries only when we have improved our own. charity begins at home my friends!
Women in India are once again caught in the contradiction that is India.
On one hand, we have a plethora of female Goddesses in Hinduism and on the other, we have rapes and gender based abortions in every Indian city.
On one hand, we laud the achievements of astronauts Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams. On the other hand, women are considered a burden on a family and not worth giving and education.
On one hand, we celebrate and worship the Lakshmi Bai, the Rani of Jhansi. On the other hand, we have a powerful General saying that women have no place in the army.
On one hand, we have the Shiv Sena rioting in the name of preserving Indian Culture and Indian Womanhood, and on the other hand, we have an antiquated tradition where women are considered dirty and not allowed in a temple.
And then we wonder why Indians find success, fame and fortune abroad that they could never find at home.
Because with attitudes that we still have in India, Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams would have been limited to teaching science at a secondary school instead of reaching out to the stars.
Don't make a issue of this. Just like how to some places men are barred from entering, Ayyappa temple bars women from entering. Ayyappa was a bachelor and didn't wanted women to come close to him, so the tradition started of barring women from coming into close proximity. It's been like this from centuries, no one complained before, why are some idiots making a issue out of it now. Go and think of some important issues that are bothering our country.
I think , the question here is not whether she is correct or wrong.
* If the entry to the temple happened unknowingly, and the temple authorities did not restrict the entry as per temple regulations, its better to forget as an exception, and think about the future..
There is no point creating a controversy on this.
* Whether the women should get right to see Ayyappa temple is another question, and is debatable, as its a old belief , and the ritual at this temple, it needs debate at the high level of worshippers/Swamis' to relook into the practice followed since a long...
I read with interest the claims and counters of the issue at hand. I find it beyond belief that a famous (?) person like herself would be jostled into the sanctum sanctorum. Usually if one were to "break" rules, one would do it in stealth. She went there in full sight of devotees and got jostled in? My second pick is that, there is a reason (religious, hygienic, whatever) women do not enter temples during certain times. For our own personal discipline, it might be a good idea to follow it. Kerala is one of the few places I see where people do not go near the sanctum if they havent taken a cleansing bath. They pray from the outside and leave. That sort of discipline is to be commended. I truly wish religion and politics do not get entangled with entirely ludicrous and laughable claims such as this lady is making. I am a woman and I must say that these rules do not bother me the way it seems to others. The reason a lot of hygienic practices are tied to religion is that it makes them an easier pill to swallow if it seems like a divine dictate. In a choice between Hitler and perhaps God demanding the same action, which would we choose?
I read all of the message here and I'm ashamed of mentality shown here. Some say it is a centuries old (B.C.) tradition and its sanctity must be kept; it is God's tradition, blah blah... How do you know this is an ancient or God's tradition? You are simply following what you were told. Even if it is, should we stick to it? Is Hinduism what it was centuries back? Do you want women to go back and stay at home? How's it then different than radical Islam? I mean c'mon, we are in 21st century; man has landed on our Lord Moon. Lord Sun doesn't ride on a chariot around Mother Earth. Other lords are masses of gases, boiling liquids and plasma (i.e. planets). It is good to beleive in God and other beliefs, but is utmost shame to not adapt it to the reality. I pray to Lord Vishnu in many forms, but will not enter His temple where my mother, my wife and my daughter will not be allowed by priests and so called guardians of faith who are like rest of the human beings. It is not important if she entered the temple or not or if she is lying ; what is important is if this discrimation should exist anymore. All human beings are equal before God and lets champion that philosophy everywhere.
Personally, I don't believe in most of these rituals/rules/beliefs. You can close your eyes and see god - if you have faith.
However, if you think you believe in so and so God - say Lord Ayappa in this case - you need to follow the faith in its entirety. If you're not supposed to go to the temple, as per the rules of the God - you've two options. One - follow the rules. Two - don't believe in that particular god/sect/belief. You can't follow the stream and not follow the rules.
God inded has no discrimination between man and woman.But in case of this Aiyyappa temple,there is a different story behind it and the lord is a celibate and hence,only young women are not allowed there.Girls and post menopausal ladies are allowed So,where does dicrimination come to exist?It is just a ritual in the honour of the unwed lord.Like a lot of rituals honouring ladies and we are proud of,there are a few other rituals where sometimes we have to understand the philosophy behind rituals and take a back seat.I think we should first understand the wisdom behind Hindu philosophy than acting modern by highlighting the so called pro women cliche' unnecessarily and out of place.
I always wondered about the stupidity of not allowing women in Sabarimala. Gone are the days when women were considered impure and not allowed to enter a temple during their monthly cycles. And God created women and their cycles !!! Then why can't they pray to God in a temple ??? Atleast people now know how the human body functions and that nobody (woman) is impure!!! The why not change the age old practice ???
