SC allows women to enter Sabarimala; these 4 temples still do not

A Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra pronounced its judgment on the centuries-old prohibition on women entry to Sabarimala Temple in Kerala on Friday.

The five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, said banning the entry of women into the shrine is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women.

Stating that relationship with God can't be defined by biology, the apex court, in a historic judgement on Friday lifted ban on women from entering renowned Sabarimala temple in Kerala.  

Earlier, women said to be of menstrual age were restricted from entering the temple as its presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa is believed to be a staunch celibate.

While Sabarimala allows entry of women, there are temples in India that restrict entry of women into sanctum sanctorum still today.

Lord Kartikeya Temple, Pushkar: The ancient structure dates back to the 5th century BC. Located in the centr eof Pehowa in Kurukshetra distric of Haryana, the temple worships the brahmachari form of Lord Kartikeya.

There is a myth that the Lord curses women who enter the temple instead of blessing them. Thus, women are banned from entering the temple.

Ranakpur Temple, Rajasthan: The spectacular temple complex was built in the 15th century AD, asn is one of the five major pilgrimage site sof Jainism. Within this complex are a number of temples, some of which are didcated to the tirthankars. The temple houses 1444 carved white pillars, each unique in its design.

However, there are instructions when and how a woman can visit on a large board outside the temple. Again, menstruating women are asked to not enter th etemple. Furthermore, the temple requires women to cover their legs till below their knees and also has rules regarding western clothes.

Patbausi Satra, Assam: Located at a distance of 2km north of Barpeta town in Assam, the shrine was the abode of various Vaishnav gurus Shri Manta Sankardeva, Shri Madhavdeva and Shri Damodardeva who promoted Vaishanva faith. This temple too cites menstruation as the reason for banning women from temple premises. While in 2010, Assam Governor JB Patnaik managed to take 20 women to the temple, the stara eventually re-imposed the ban.

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram: Considered the richest temple in the world, the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple houses treasure vaults. When it comes to worship, the temple has a weird rule. Women devotees can worship the deity but shouldn't go inside the temple chambers. Women inventory officials too aren't allowed into the treasure vaults and a few years back, the temple authorities even restricted entry to a woman expert from the Archaeological Survey of India.