Certainly, there are some Bhagvati Mata-style temples around India, where only women devotees are welcome and men devotees occasionally on special occasions. In Some of these temples, however, male admission is absolutely restricted. Let us look at some of the Hindu temples in which only women can enter.
Attukal Temple
Attukul temple is located in Kerala, where the Pongal festival is celebrated with tremendous passion and devotion by solely female devotees. The presence of a male is not permitted on temple grounds. The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is a temple in Kerala dedicated to the goddess Attukal.
This Hindu Temple has been inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for holding the Pongala festival, which attracts around three million women. During the event, males are not permitted to enter the temple, which has the greatest gathering of female devotees.
Asaam, Kamru Kamchhaya
When it comes to the monthly period, there is another temple where only females are permitted to access the grounds at that time. It is the shrine of Bhagati Maa, and it was here that Uma or Maa Sati’s waist was slashed by Lord Vishnu Sudershan Chakra, causing her to fall to the ground. It is also regarded as a significant Peeth of Bhagvati Maa. There is a female priest in Devipuram Kamakhya Peetham, as well as worshippers.
Mata Temple Muzaffarpur, Bihar
Although this temple seems to be a basic structure, I have learned from reputable sources that Mata does in fact reside inside the walls of the temple. As a result, only female devotees are permitted to visit the Mandir at the time of the particular period day on the calendar. This includes even the Pujari of the Mandir who is forbidden from entering the premises.
During a certain time period, males are not permitted to visit this shrine, which is located in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. Even a male priest is not permitted to access the premises due to the strictness of the regulations. During that specific time period, only females are permitted to visit this particular shrine.
Temple of Chakkulathukavu
Another temple in Kerala is dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathi, which has an annual rite known as ‘Naari Puja,’ in which the male priest washes the feet of female worshippers who have fasted for ten days on the first Friday of December, is situated on the city of Trivandrum. The day is referred to as Dhanu. Only women are permitted to enter the temple during the ‘Naari Puja’ ceremony.
The temple of Bhagwati at Chengannur (Kerala) and the temple of Kamakhya Devi
It was also thought that the Goddess, like other women, menstruated and followed similar rites of monthly seclusion, which included shutting the temple for three days and then celebrating the conclusion of her menstrual cycle. The menstruation cloth is regarded as very auspicious in both of these temples, and it is distributed among the faithful in both locations.
Bhagati Maa Temple
It is the exact location where Maa Parvati traveled to a remote location in the middle of the ocean for Tapasya. She put a lot of effort into obtaining Lord Shiva as her spouse in that location. Women devotees are also permitted to enter the temple. Males are not permitted to enter the building.
Women alone are allowed to worship at this temple dedicated to Kanya Kumari’s mother, Kanya Ma Bhagawati Durga, which is well-known in the area. This temple, which is situated in Kanyakumari, is dedicated to Kanya Maa Bhagawati Durga, who is claimed to have traveled to an isolated region in the middle of the ocean for Tapasya in order to beg Lord Shiva to be her spouse, according to legend.
According to the Puranas, the spine of a Sati was found on the shrine’s foundation. The deity is also referred to as the Goddess of Sanyasa in certain circles. As a result of these restrictions, only sanyasi males are permitted to access the temple grounds up to the gate, whereas married men are barred from doing so.
Santoshi Maa ‘Vrat’
Only ladies and unmarried girls participate in the celebration of Santoshi Maa Varat. There were no males on the fast or on the Varat of Santoshi Maa that I noticed. On that day, it is also illegal to consume sour fruits or prickles of any kind. Despite the fact that males attend the Santoshi Maa temple to pray, there is very little activity on the Varat of Santoshi Maa.
Women and unmarried girls are required to follow the ‘vrat’ for Santoshi Maa on a rigorous basis. During that time period, they are not permitted to consume sour fruits or pickles. The goddess may be worshipped in the temple, and males are permitted to attend, however they are severely barred from entering the grounds on Fridays.
Temple of Lord Brahma
The temple, which dates back to the 14th century and is situated in Pushkar, Rajasthan, prevents married males from accessing its grounds. This temple is the only one of its kind in the world. According to the Puranas, Lord Brahma had conducted a yajna at Pushkar Lake with his wife Goddess Saraswati, who was late for the occasion due to a traffic jam.
Because of this, Lord Brahma married Goddess Gayatri and performed the ritual as a result of which Goddess Saraswati cursed the temple, saying that “no married man is allowed to visit the inner sanctum lest trouble arises in his marital life.” As a result, no married man is allowed to visit the inner sanctum. This is one of the reasons why males are not permitted to access this shrine.
Trimbakeshwar Temple Nasik, Maharashtra, India
Females were not permitted to access the inner sanctum of this temple dedicated to Lord Shiva until 2016, after which the Bombay High Court ruled that even men should not be permitted to visit the inner sanctuary if women are not permitted to do so. Since then, males have also been prevented from joining in order to preserve gender parity in the workplace.
Kamakhya Temple Assam’s Kamrup
During their menstrual cycle, only women are permitted to access the temple’s grounds. Only female priests, known as sanyasis, are employed at the temple, where the menstruation cloth of Maa Sati is regarded exceedingly auspicious and is handed to worshipers on a daily basis.
It is stated that Lord Vishnu sliced Maa Sati’s waist with his Sudarshan Chakra, causing her waist to fall on the location where the temple is now located, which is where the temple was erected.
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