Source: BBC News
India’s Supreme Court has said women can no longer be barred from entering the Sabarimala temple, considered to be one of the holiest for Hindus.
The temple in Kerala barred women of a “menstruating age” – defined as between the ages of 10 and 50 – from entering.
Menstruating women are not allowed to participate in religious rituals or enter temples, as they are considered “unclean” in Hinduism.
The ruling came after a petition argued the custom violated gender equality.
While most Hindu temples allow women to enter as long as they are not menstruating, the Sabarimala temple is unusual in that it is one of a few temples that does not allow women in the broad age group to enter at all.
Categories: Asia, Hinduism, India, The Muslim Times, Women