Periods is the blessed and an inevitable phenomenon of a woman’s life. It defines the vitality of a woman. But unfortunately, the menstruation is still a taboo in our country, where on the same hand a bleeding goddess is worshipped. The reference is being made to the bleeding goddess, Kamakhya. The same country where bleeding women aren’t allowed to enter the pious grounds. A woman’s period is looked upon as a filthy thing and she’s not allowed to enter the temple premises.
Also Read: Decoding the Secrets of Kamakhya Temple
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But why aren’t we allowed to go to the temples or touch any holy thing when we’re on our periods? The question lingers on, why a bleeding woman isn’t treated as normal when having your period is completely normal? The roots are deeper than we can imagine. Let’s throw some light on our ancient beliefs why women were barred from going to temples during their periods.
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First of all, let me clear the air that Hinduism isn’t the only religion that bars its women to enter the holy premises while on menstruation. Other religions like Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism also don’t allow their women in temples during periods. They consider bleeding women dangerous and impure.
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Also Read: Hygiene Tips To Keep In Mind During Periods
1. Christianity
In the ancient times, when women were on their periods, they were forced to live in a separate house called ‘menstrual huts’. They were not allowed to come out of the hut during these 4-5 days. It was also believed that if a bleeding woman touched a bacon, it would decompose by itself. Women were also prevented from cooking, baking or praying.
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2. Islam
Islam forbids bleeding women to have an intercourse or fast during the auspicious months of Ramzan. They are also not allowed to enter the mosque and offer Namaz.
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Also Read: How to Delay Periods Using Natural Methods
3. Sikhism
Fortunately, this religion became the only one to absolutely condemn the practice of treating the women as impure during their periods. They allow their women to continue their duties and work without any restrictions while on periods.
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4. Hinduism
Women are not allowed to enter the kitchen and temple during their periods. They were given separate beds to sleep, different clothes and utensils for eating.
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Also Read: 10 Reasons Why Your Periods Might Be Missing!
The Scientific Explanation Behind This Belief
There is no specific reason why women are treated so differently when they are on their periods. But the only answer that satisfies the situation is that these restrictions were put to give her some rest.
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During those days, women folk of the family had a lot of work to do like grinding wheat, carrying water pots, cooking and cleaning. But the menstrual cramps and the mood swings made it really hard for the women to cope with the chores. So the only way to stop them from doing the work was to impose some restrictions.
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Also Read: 5 Effective Tips To Avoid Painful Periods
Women Today
But times have changed a great deal with the technological advancements. Nowadays women don’t bunk their school, college or work due to their periods. They go out and live as normally as they would during the rest of the month. So the taboo now seems to fade away slowly. But still, women aren’t allowed in temples during menstruation.
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