Founder of the Art of Living Foundation, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar reportedly supports women’s entry in Shani Shingnapur Shrine.
Speaking to CNN IBN, he said, "Awareness on gender equality has to be created, scriptures have to be understood properly. It is the work of religious and spiritual leaders to make people understand. Though they may be following some traditions, it has no scriptural injunction."
He argued that though different temples have different rules but nevertheless if a man can enter a place of worship so can a woman too.
The stir intensified when women activists on Tuesday voiced their support for those women set to march towards Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra to break the centuries old tradition of not allowing the feminine gender to enter the sanctum sanctorum.
The temple drew attention in November 2015 after a woman had offered prayers at the popular shrine in 'breach' of the age-old practice of prohibiting entry of women, after which the temple committee had to suspend seven security men and the villagers to perform purification rituals.
The temple platform attracts millions of tourists and devotees from across the country and abroad.
Following the Shani temple stir, Muslim women too on Thursday staged a protest demanding entry into a restricted area of the Haji Ali dargah.
Eventually, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on Saturday issued notices to the Union Government, the Maharashtra Government and the Ahmednagar District administration over the Shani Shingnapur row.