Just as people all over the world celebrate New Year's Day, 5 million Indian women took to the streets to protest the Indian temple's law prohibiting "menstrual age women" from entering.
In , Kerala, there is a Hindu temple called Sabarimala, one of the most sacred temples of Hinduism, attracting millions of believers every year.
Image source KAVIYOOR SANTHOSH
But like most Indian temples, this temple prohibits women at menstruation age from entering, and women from 50 to 10 years old cannot enter.
Hinduism believes that women of menstrual age are unclean and prohibits them from participating in religious ceremonies. Another reason is that opponents call the god worshipped here an open ascetic male god.
However, amid calls for equality between men and women, the Supreme Court of India overturned the ban in September 2018.
The Sabarimala shrine was historically closed to women of "menstruating age" - defined as between 10 and 50.
Sabarimala temple has always been prohibited from entering women aged 10-50 and menstrual age.
The Supreme Court decision to let women worship at the Sabarimala shrine came after a petition argued that the custom banning them violent gender equality.
In order to ensure their worship rights, women petitioned to advocate gender equality. After receiving the petition, the Supreme Court agreed to allow women to worship in the Sabarimala temple.
BBC
However, the court's decision still cannot stop protesters , blocking, or even attacking female visitors .
Some believers say that if a woman goes in, she will never go to the Sabarimala Temple to worship again.
"We have been coming to temple for the last 30 years. But we may not come back because women entering the temple will spoil our belief system and sacred rituals," Murugan, a devotee, told BBC Hindi's Imran Qureshi.
"We have been coming to temple for the last 30 years. But we may not come back because women entering the temple will spoil our belief system and sacred rituals," Murugan, a devotee, told BBC Hindi's Imran Qureshi.
"We have been coming to temple for the last 30 years. But we may not come back because women entering the temple will spoil our belief system and sacred rituals," Murugan, a devotee, told BBC.
BBC
So, this conflict about equal rights and religious traditions finally broke out on Tuesday. Thousands of women from Kerala took to the streets, forming a 620-kilometer-long human chain to fight for their religious rights.
Image source CV LENIN
Hundreds of thousands of women have formed a 620km-long human chain across a southern Indian state in support of a court order overturning a partial ban on women entering one of Hinduism’s holiest temples.
Thousands of women formed a 620km long chain of people to support the Supreme Court’s decision.
Officials told BBC Hindi's Imran Qureshi that around five million women from various parts of Kerala had gathered across all national highways to form the chain, which stretched from the northern tip of Kasaragod to the southern end in Thiruvanthapuram.
Local officials revealed to the BBC that about 5 million women from all parts of Kerala had gathered on the national highways, forming a chain of people extending from the northern end of Kasaragod to the southern end in Thiruvanthapuram.
Local officials revealed to the BBC that about 5 million women from various parts of Kerala had gathered across all national highways to form the chain, which stretched from the northern tip of Kasaragod to the southern end in Thiruvanthapuram.
Local officials revealed to the BBC that about 5 million women from all parts of Kerala had gathered on the national highways, forming a chain of people from Kasaragod to the southern end of Thiruvanthapuram.
The Guardian
Picture source CV LENIN
Women of all occupations participated in the protest, including government employees, students, housewives, etc. It is reported that government employees also participated in the demonstration. The school was on holiday for half a day and the university exam was postponed so that students could participate in the protests.
One young demonstrator, Kavita Das, told BBC Hindi: "This is a great way of saying how powerful women are, and how we can empower ourselves and help each other. Of course, I support the move to allow women of all ages into the temple. I don't think tradition or any kind of backwardness should stop women. Those who want to pray must have the right to pray."
Kavita Das told the BBC: "This protest is a good interpretation of the power of women, allowing us to learn how to empower ourselves and how to help each other. I support allowing women of all ages to enter, tradition or any behind behavior should not stop women.Those who want to pray must have the right to pray. ”
Another woman, Tanuja Bhattadri, observed: "I believe men and women are equal."
Another woman, Tanuja Bhattadri, said: "I believe men and women are equal." "
BBC
But opponents also have a set of theories. They claim that prohibits menstrual age women from entering not only conforms to traditional , but also conforms to the wishes of gods ???
Because the god Lord Ayyappa is a celibate openly.
So, what is the origin of this Lord Ayyappa?
Image source Wikipedia
Hindu 000 Pantheon each god has his own personality and a unique legend. About Lord Ayyappa has several popular sayings.
One is the way we are familiar with the writing of fairy tale novels. The banshee fell in love with the ascetic male protagonist.
According to one legend, Ayappa was born out of a union between two male gods which gave him the ability to defeat a she-demon who had been unstoppable until then.
According to one legend, Ayappa was born out of a union between two male gods which gave him the ability to defeat a she-demon who had been unstoppable until then.
According to one legend, Ayappa was born out of a union between two male gods which gave him the ability to defeat a she-demon who had been unstoppable until then.
She fell in love with him and asked him to marry her, but he refused, saying he was destined to go into the forest and answer the prayers of his devotees.
Then, according to the routine of Xianxia novels, the banshee fell in love with him and wanted to marry him. But he refused, saying that he would retire to the forest and use the rest of his life to respond to the prayers of believers.
She persisted, so he said he would marry her the day new devotees stopped coming to seek his blessings.
So he insisted. So he said that one day no new believers seek his blessings and married her that day.
That never happened.
However, this day never came.
The legend says that she waits for him at a second temple, which lies on the way to the main Sabarimala shrine.
Legend She waits for him in another temple. This temple is located on the road leading to the Sabarimala Temple.
Women do not visit either temple - the belief is that to do so would insult both the deity and the sacrifice of the woman who loved him.
So from then on, women no longer go to these two temples to fulfill this pair of fairy couples.
BBC
Another simplified version is relatively simple.
In this version of the story, Lord Ayappa eventually took a vow to answer the prayers of every devotee who came to him, and shunned all worldly desires including contact with women, which is why women are not allowed inside his temple. There could also be other legends associated with the deity and why women are not allowed inside.
In this version of the story, Ayappa vows to answer the prayers of every believer who comes to him and avoids all worldly desires, including contact with women, which is why women are not allowed to enter his temple.
BBC
The more abstinent male god is, the more wants to flirt with ?
Myth is myth
During the massive protest on Tuesday, a small number of women tried to enter the temple, but was eventually forced to leave.
In October this year, two women arrived at the gate of the temple, and the last 5 kilometers they walked extremely long.
Two women managed to reach the main temple premises in October, with more than 100 police protecting them from stone-throwing protesters as they walked the last 5km stretch to the shrine. They were ultimately forced to turn round after a stand-off with devotees, just metres from Sabarimala's sanctum. (BBC)
100+ police officers protected them from stone-throwing protesters as they walked the last 5km stretch to the shrine. After confronting the believers, they were eventually forced to turn around, only a few meters away from the temple of Sabarimala.
BBC
