In photos: as women enter inner sanctum of Shani Shingnapur, a 400-year-old tradition is broken

Activist Trupti Desai enters and prays inside inner sanctum of #ShaniShingnapur temple pic.twitter.com/Ruouuo0qPj

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 8, 2016

Earlier in the day on Friday, 250 residents of Shingnapur village throned the premies of the temple and shouldered their way through the double barricades that had been put up by the trustees. They went inside to offer 'Jai Pooja'. Shortly after they entered, temple authorities announced their historic decision. 

The trustees held a meeting and decided, in accordance with the high court directive, to give unrestricted entry to all devotees - both men and women. The Bombay High Court had observed that women should have full and equal access to places of worship, just like men.

"We will welcome (Bhumata Brigade leader) Trupti Desai also if she comes for darshan," sad Sayaram Bankar, trustee of the temple, referring to the campaign spearheaded by the outfit for breaking the tradition followed by the Lord Saturn shrine.

Trupti Desai told CNN-IBN, "We welcome the decision taken by the trust. It's a victory for women. This is a great achievement against gender inequality."

Text by Sahil Bhalla

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