Lord Brahma Temple, Pushkar (Photo | Wikipedia)
While 'discrimination' against women at Sabarimala Ayyappa temple has been a burning topic for quite sometime now, the 'reverse discrimination' against men at some shrines which has been very prevalent till today has almost been unnoticed and unmentioned.
Here is a list of temples where men are not allowed to enter during certain time periods:
Kamakhya temple, Visakhapatnam
Like the famous Kamakhya temple of Guwahati, the Kamakhya Peetham in Visakhapatnam, where 'creative divinity' of women is worshipped, too denies entry to men for some days in every month. Men are barred from entering the temple for four to five days to observe the privacy of women during their period of menstruation.
Lord Brahma Temple, Pushkar
This famous medieval Brahma temple in Pushkar, Rajasthan, prohibits married men from entering the sanctum sanctorum to worship the deity. Only ascetics can perform the puja here. All offerings by the devotees are accepted from the outer hall of the shrine by a celibate priest.
Devi Kanyakumari / Kumari Amman Temple, Kanyakumari
The Kumari Amman temple situated in Kanyakumari has Maa Bhagawati Durga in its sanctum sanctorum. Here only sanyasis (celibate men) are allowed till the gate of the temple, while married men are prohibited from entering the premises. This place is believed to be the place where Mata Parvati did tapasya for gaining Lord Shiva as her husband. The temple is raised on the same spot. In this temple of Kanyakumari, Kanya (virgin) Ma Bhagawati Durga is worshipped by women only.
Mata Temple, Muzaffarpur
Men are prohibited at the Mata Temple in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, as the temple management allows only women during the time of 'periods'. Here, the rules are so strictly followed that even a male priest is not allowed to enter the temple premises during that time. The temple turns 'women only' then.
