Part 4 - Gender issues of the Devalaya

Gender issues and temples in our country are buzz words at present times. Temples are usually known as a place for prohibitory entry. Those people are allowed to enter and worship the deities remained inside the Garbhagriha are obliged to abide by some rituals in a strict order. There is no shrine or temple in our country where the gender biasness is not observed. Female deities are worshiped in all Devalayas in Assam like other temples in India. It is interesting to note that morphologically the word Devalaya is a patriarchal term where Devi-female deities are revered. But ironically the female devotees have to encounter with the ritualistic barricade tough they are allowed to worship like other male devotees but with a bit of constraints impose upon them more than the male devotees. Some things and objects are always restricted from touching of the women folk. Like other temples in India as well as in Assam, the Billeswar Devalaya is also not totally free from gender biasness. But the liberalism on the contrary to the stringent rituals in other temples is delightfully observed by me during participatory study. It is observed that celibacy of women is a factor of prohibitory entry into the Garbhagriha of the Devalaya, where the Achal Shivalinga exists.