Chandigarh, August 6, 2017: It's shocking to know there is a place near Chandigarh where women are not allowed to enter a Hindu temple that is Kheda Temple as they think the women bring misfortune and are dirty, impure. We are talking of Kansal Village near modern Chandigarh, whose male population has such shameful thoughts for women of their village.
If you don't believe us, the sign board on the gate of Kheda Temple will change your mind. It reads Kheda Mandar De Andar Aurtan Da Aana Sakhat Mana Hai in Punjabi which means females are not allowed inside the Kheda temple.
A month ago this diktat was passed by the temple management committee. It was done as per the advice of a priest after few locals approached him.The locals were worried about an untimely death of three to four youths belonging to this village. The priest told them that the Kheda, a local god is not happy with them as the women don't respect him.
According to India Today report, Sanju Kansal, a local said, "the God became furious as the women did not wear a veil while entering the village as a mark of respect. Some even entered the temple during their periods. Women while having periods are impure and dirty." Other villagers including a village headman, Shamsher Singh agreed with Kansal and said that it was a unanimous decision and it was in the interest of the village.
"The whole village nodded in favor of this decision as it was a question of the well-being of the future generation. The Baba has advised us not to allow women inside the temple for 40 days. The women too have agreed to this," said Shamsher Singh.
Village women are not objecting on the Diktat, despite knowing the fact that this decision is against them and also violates their rights. Awareness of women's rights in India is very less in villages. The women of Kansal village seem to have silently nodded, giving their consent to the banned entry.
Gurmeet Kaur, a local woman (who is unaffected by the ban) said, "Earlier we were allowed inside the temple but now we do not go. I don't know but the children are allowed. It hardly matters who goes or not. I pay my respect from outside." On questioning other women, most of them gave similar answers. Some of them refused to comment as not agreeing to it can lead to a domestic dispute.
However, there is some hope left in the form of residents like Azaib Singh who are against the diktat and want the women worshippers to be allowed to enter the temple."The ban is arbitrary. We are against it. Everybody should be allowed to enter the temple. This is the brainchild of some people who are dividing the society," said Azaib Singh.
But, Kheda temple is not the only temple in India which falls in the category of temples where females are not allowed to enter. There are about four other temples in the vicinity where their entry is banned. One of it is a temple of a Naga Baba few hundred meters from Kheda which has also banned entry of women worshippers. Two other temples located in Dhakoli near Zirakpur and in Nayagaon are also a males only domain. There are some religious places in India where women are not allowed, sad but true fact.
"Women cannot enter this Samadhi (temple of a Naga Baba). I have been living here for last 18 years. When others are not entering why should we?" said Veena, a resident who lives close to Naga Baba temple where women are restricted.A senior citizen Rajni, when asked about the reason due to which women were not allowed in these temples, said that some people (priests) visited the village and asked not to allow them to enter the village.
While the women of Kansal village are silent on the diktat, women's rights activists are objecting to the ban and have also criticized the temple management committee for taking this decision. A Panchkula based women's rights activist, Renu Mathur said,"I am shocked how the people who live in the vicinity of country's modern and highly educated city Chandigarh stooped so low and labeled women as inferior human being. This is shameful and against the women. We will start an agitation if the board is not removed immediately."
– by Kritika Dua of NewsGram. Twitter @DKritika08
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