Activist Trupti Desai offered prayers at the Shani Shingnapur temple.
Men and women lined up to the sanctum sanctorum of Maharashtra's famous Shani Shingnapur temple since on Saturday to offer prayers on the first Saturday after a 400-year -old ban on entry of women into the shrine's core area was lifted.
The temple trust yesterday lifted the ban following advocacy group Bhoomata Brigade's agitation against gender bias and the Bombay High Court order upholding the equal rights to worship. The temple trust announced the decision, some women devotees entered the sacred area and offered worship.
Later, Bhoomata Brigade leader Trupti Desai, who had led a sustained campaign over the issue, reached the temple located in western Maharashtra and offered prayers.
A smooth access to the area of the temple brought cheer to women devotees as they poured oil on the ancient black stone idol and offered flowers to the deity on Saturday, traditionally marked by prayers to Lord Shani and Lord Hanuman whose images are jointly installed at many temples.
However, the sarpanch (headman) of Shingnapur Balsaheb Bankar said that although the decision to open all gates of the temple to all devotees was taken to honour the high court order, he personally felt that the sentiments of the villages had been "hurt" by the development.
"An age old religious tradition to protect sanctity of the temple has been broken," Mr Bankar told news agency PTI.
The chief trustee of the temple Anita Shete said the trustees had taken the decision to uphold the high court directive and accordingly all devotees -- men and women -- would now have free access to the inner sanctum.
Ms Desai, who waged the battle against gender bias at places of worship, yesterday declared the trustees' decision as "victory for women" as she went to Shingnapur to have darshan of the deity along with her activists.