Its quiet strange what has been happening in Hinduism for centuries. Like many cultures around the world, here in India, women are deprived of many rights, though they are slowly getting it back. I am happy that the supreme court has given a verdict that women can go into Iyappan temple. For centuries women have been kept out.

For some reason the God Iyappa there seems not to like women who are menstruating for some reason. No wonder he was born in an era that was relatively unscientific compared to what it is today and possibly menstruation was considered a taboo. Today in the age of science we know that’s not the case and its a natural process. So women are not less to men because they menstruate and hence they can be allowed in the temple says the court.

But still Hinduism seems strange to me. Pilliyar and Hanumaan are are both unmarried and symbolized bhramachariyam (the art of not getting intoxicated and seduced by women), yet its not bad for women to worship them, go to their temples, touch their pictures and idols. Its only in Iyappan temple we see all these fuss. That’s strange.

Now that the court has given equal rights to women, I wonder what is going to happen next. We have the fanatic RSS which is supported by the ruling BJP, and many ordinary Hindus do not welcome this verdict. Will families send their women of age to Iyappan temple? None knows. Even if women of age do go to the temple, will they be safe? Wont the fanatics try to harass them, some cases insult and kill them? No one knows.

One day Indian public will be mature. They will look upon women been banned from going to Iyappan as idiotic as women been forced to commit sathi, but till the mentality changes anything tragic fueled by Hindu fanatics could happen. That too today these fanatics are immune to law and order. Lets see….