O J's Corner : Reflections

Women’s worship

Women are venturing into places of worships where they are not allowed. And so they get brickbats from traditionalists. With the kind of worldly wisdom and trappings of women’s emancipation, enthusiasts try to get the better of conservative thinkers and steal a glance at gods and goddesses.

Approaching the issue with logical thinking and common sense, women cannot be faulted for attempting to appease gods and goddesses. But rational reasoning has no place in matters of faith. No one can bid for giving a go-by to traditions that have been followed for hundreds of years.

Kannada actress Jaimala revealed recently that she had touched the idol of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala Sannidhanam, at the sanctum sanctorum of the hillshrine. Maybe, she was compelled to reveal everything for her foray into the forbidden place on account of  guilt feeling.

The divination rituals held at Sabarimala recently had pointed an accusing finger about entry of a woman in the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Ayyappa who does not like women of impregnable age to appear before him.

Now another actress has revealed that she too had worshipped at the Sabarimala temple in 1987, the same year Jaimala was pushed in the stampede into the sanctum sanctorum where she touched the feet of Ayyappa’s idol.

The worshippers being Kannadiga women, the Karnataka Assembly could not leave the matter as such. It did not want anyone to castigate Kannadiga women. Criticism in Kerala about the worship of these women, against tradition, could not be tolerated in Karnataka.

This has become a gargantuan problem. A lot of rituals are held before the idol of Lord Ayyappa every day when the temple is thrown open to the public. What are the propitiatory rites that have to be done for appeasing Lord Ayyappa?
Is it necessary to repeat all the rituals that have been conducted after these actresses defiled the idol and the temple premises?

Perhaps another divination has to be held to seek the mind of Lord Ayyappa. No one can assume that Ayyappa would put perdition on these women who wanted to worship him.

A devotee from Salem has revealed that what Jaimala touched was an idol he took to Sabarimala in 1987 for rituals at the sanctum sanctorum. A woman had prostrated before it in front of the sanctum sanctorum. She had touched the idol he held in his hand. He also offered a flower to the woman devotee. What she had touched was not the original idol inside the sanctum sanctorum, according to this devotee.

Meanwhile, actress Meera Jasmine, a Christian, had worshipped at the Rajarajeswara temple at Thaliparamba in Kerala. People of other faith are not allowed to worship there. She has offered financial support for the temple to undertake propitiatory rites.

A general question that arises from these episodes would be of interest. Is there any point in blaming these women?

If places of worship are not open to particular sections of people, the authorities there should make proper arrangements to dissuade such people thronging the portals of such religious places. Preventive measures are better than punitive ones.

Can one proceed against them as though they have committed a criminal offence? Is there any provision in the Indian Penal Code to clamp them under its provisions?

The move to question them and make criminals out of them would appear to be pre-posterous.