Since 34 years, no woman has entered this Kali temple
Kolkata has its own Sabarimala to fight with, with a local Kali Puja committee not allowing women to enter its pandal, ever since the worship of the idol began 34 years ago by priests of the Tarapith, a Shakti pith in Birbhum district. The move, which has triggered protests by scholars, will be maintained, emphasized members of the Chetla Pradip Sangha puja committee.
Women work for committee, but don't enter pandal
"We wish to maintain the rules which lay down that if any woman enters the pandal during puja, there will be a tragedy in our locality. We cannot break the tradition of the past 34 years," joint-secretary of Chetla Pradip Sangha puja committee, Saibal Guha said. "Our puja committee has women members also, but they don't enter the pandal," committee member Saheb Das said.
However, few women have no objection to the 'tradition'
The male members of the puja committee and the locality prepare 'prasad' and 'bhog' for the deity. Women members help them in other tasks like bringing the idol to the pandal and joining the immersion procession. However, a local woman devotee Sabita Das has no objection to the practice. "We don't want to break the tradition. It is embedded in our faith," she said.
'Why worship goddess if you aren't allowing women in temple'
Indologist Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri termed such rules as an extreme manifestation of patriarchy and misogyny. "Why are they worshipping a goddess then? What the organizers practise has nothing to do with the scriptures," Bhaduri said. Echoing Bhaduri, a senior priest and scholar Shambhunath Kritya Smrititirtho said, "There is no rule to disallow women inside the premises where the idol is kept."
