After Shani Shingnapur victory, Trupti Desai sets her eyes on Kolhapur`s Mahalakshmi Temple

In a historic decision that broke a 400-year-old tradition, the Shani Shingnapur Trust decided to open the chauthara (platform) of the temple to everyone, including women.

Mumbai: Making her intentions clear on taking the crusade forward, Bhumata Brigade's Trupti Desai – who spearheaded the movement to ensure unrestricted entry for women into the Shani Shingnapur temple – has now set her eyes on the Mahalakshmi Temple in Kolhapur.

“Its been 3 months and after that the women power has won, this is just the beginning,” she said.

“Fight to continue wherever there's gender bias on entering temples, 13th April will fight for entry into Mahalakshmi Temple,” she asserted.

Yesterday, yielding to a high-voltage campaign by activists led by Desai, the Shani Shingnapur temple trust allowed women to enter the sanctum sanctorum, breaking the tradition followed for several decades.

Desai, who is spearheading a campaign seeking to break the age-old tradition banning entry of women in inner sanctum sanctorum of temples, had earlier visited the famous Lord Shiva temple at Trimbakeshwar near Nashik without making a bid to enter the core area.

The Bombay High Court had on April 1 held that it is the women’s fundamental right to go into places of worship and the government is duty-bound to protect it.