Jama Masjid Withdraws Ban On Entry Of 'Girls' Amid Row. Other Religious Places Where Women's Entry Is Restricted

The Jama Masjid administration withdrew its order on Thursday banning the entry of women after severe backlash.

Jama Masjid Bans 'Unaccompanied' Women

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The Jama Masjid administration withdrew its order on Thursday banning the entry of women coming alone or in groups to the historical place in Old Delhi after facing severe backlash. The order had said there was no restriction on women coming with families or married couples.

"There is no restriction on girls/women coming with families, no restriction on married couples either. When women come alone, they indulge in improper acts, shoot videos. The ban is to stop this," ANI quoted PRO Sabiullah Khan as saying.

But, the Jama Masjid is not the only religious place to bring out such an order restricting entry of women. Many famous religious places in India are on the list. Take a look:

Sabrimala temple, Kerala

Sabarimala Temple, the abode of Lord Ayyappa who is considered to be a celibate deity, prohibited the entry of women into the temple in their menstruating years (between the ages of 10 to 50) to protect the celibacy of the lord. The Supreme Court in 2018 lifted the ban and opened the gates amid a lot of protests, both from men and women. 

Kartikeya temple, Pushkar

The temple of Lord Kartikeya in Pushkar, Rajasthan, worships the God's 'brahmachari' form and thus restricts women from entering the temple premises. It is believed that the women who enter the temple are cursed by the lord instead of blessing them.

Nizamuddin Dargah, Delhi

At the Nizamuddin Dargah of Delhi, women are allowed to enter the premises of the mosque but not the main sanctum. They can only offer prayers from a distance. The same is the case with Jama Masjid in Delhi too.

Women were also allowed to enter the Hajji Ali Dargah in Mumbai after the Supreme Court scrapped a ban in 2016.

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram

One of the richest temples in the world, Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple allows women to worship the deity but they are not allowed to go inside the temple chambers. Even the women officials are not allowed to enter the holy vaults. 

Patbaushi Satra, Assam

Women are not allowed to enter this temple in Assam citing menstruation as the reason behind it. According to the authorities, women on periods pose a threat to the purity of the temple. In 2010, the then Governor of Assam JB Patnaik took a group of 20 women inside the temple after speaking to the authorities of Patbaushi Satra. Following this incident, the Satra was open to women for a brief period of time until the rule was reinstated.

Hazratbal Shrine, Srinagar

The beautiful white mosque situated on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar forbids women from entering the main building. They can stay outside in a hall from where they can offer their prayers.