To further understand the aspect of not
visiting temples during menstruation, our team travelled to Devipuram,
in Andhra Pradesh. We found unique answers from Sri Amritananda Natha
Saraswati (Guruji), founder of Devipuram, a temple in Andhra Pradesh
which is dedicated to the
Devi. While interacting with him, he
told us how in his temple, most of the priests are women, who are free
to be at the temple during their period (though it is not forced). There
is a
Kamakhya Peetham at this temple, which is a natural
formation in the shape of a Yoni (vagina) and worshippers gather here
whether or not they have their period. What Guruji told us about the
reasons behind menstruating women not visiting the temple was
fascinating and turns all our silly assumptions of impurity upside down!
Here is an excerpt from his interaction with us:
He said “What is pure, we don’t touch. And what we don’t touch, we
call it a Taboo. She (a menstruating woman) was so pure, that she was
worshipped as a Goddess. The reason for not having a woman go into a
temple is precisely this. She is a living Goddess at that time. The
energy of the God or Goddess which is there in the
murthi
(idol) will move over to her, and that (the idol) becomes lifeless,
while this (the menstruating woman) is life. So that’s why they were
prevented from entering the temple. So it is exactly the opposite of
what we think”.
As Guruji said, asking menstruating women to not attend a temple has
nothing whatsoever to do with a woman being impure. So next time someone
says that a menstruating woman should not enter a temple because she is
impure, we should let her know the explanation behind this practice,
instead of simply dismissing it a taboo. And let her decide whether or
not she wants to follow these practices.
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