A temple in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur town was purified with 'Gangajal' and statutes of deities were sent to Allahabad for purification after the visit of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Manisha Anuragi. The MLA who belongs to the dalit community entered the Dhrum Rishi temple on July 12.
"Till today no women had entered the temple. Women are not allowed here. When Manisha Anuragi entered the premises, I was not there, otherwise, I would not have allowed her to enter," the priest of the temple said.
Here's what another politician told THE WEEK about women of certain age groups being barred from entering the Sabarimala temple in Kerala
Manisha Anuragi who visited the temple while she was in her assembly constituency to attend a function said, "It's an insult to women if such things have happened. These are deeds of half-witted people."
The locals believe that the temple is from the Mahabharat era. "Since there is a ban on women entering the temple, they can stand outside and pray," a local said.