Female priests at ‘Maa Linga Bhairavi’ temple defying menstruation taboos
Since its consecration in 2010, the temple has uplifted the norms by allowing women to offer prayers unwaveringly, even during their menstrual cycles.
Reinventing the traditions within the sacred corridors of a temple, ‘Maa Linga Bhairavi’ is making the headlines. Situated at the foothills of the Velliangiri mountains, forty kilometers off Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, the temple allows only female priests, or ‘Bhairagini Maa,’ clothed in elegant red sarees, to enter the inner sanctuary and worship the goddess. A deviation from the norm, these women priests come from various backgrounds, hailing from different locations, religions, and caste structures.
Breaking Traditional Taboos
In contrast to common temple practices that restrict menstruating women or girls from entering or engaging in prayers, Maa Linga Bhairavi is a big change. Since its consecration in 2010, the temple has uplifted the norms by allowing women to offer prayers unwaveringly, even during their menstrual cycles. This bold move has revolutionized the prevailing preconceptions by breaking the taboo associated with menstruation in religious practices.
The core design of the temple speaks volumes about its ethos. The partitions of the temple are structured into an inverted triangle, symbolizing the female womb, the cradle of creation. Correspondingly, a smaller triangle inside signifies the masculine, unborn within the womb, embodying the comprehensive essence of the feminine narrative.
The Perspective of ‘Bhairagini Maa’
Bhairagini Maa Hanine, a female priest hailing from Lebanon, explained why women are allowed to visit the temple and pray. She told Times Now that initially, the idea of not letting women go to temples or do regular tasks during their periods was meant to give them a break from their daily chores. She said this practice came from a time when families were big, and women had the responsibility of cooking for the family. However, with time, these well-meant practices turned into taboos, causing people to have a wrong understanding of menstruation.
She shared her journey to India at the young age of 25 in her quest for inner peace and how she found her role as a female priest at the Linga Bhairavi temple. Speaking about the misconceptions around menstruation, she emphasized that it should be seen as a crucial biological process vital for human continuity. “This biological process is the very foundation of our existence. How can it be deemed impure? If we label menstruation as taboo, we’re essentially declaring the entirety of human existence impure”, she averred.
The Divine Feminine: Linga Bhairavi
The temple’s goddess, Linga Bhairavi, was consecrated by Sadhguru using a rare mystical process called Prana Pratishtha. This special procedure uses life energies to transform a plain stone into a deity. The goddess is thought to be the highest form of the divine feminine, representing strength and greatness. She looks after her followers and helps them with their health, everyday needs, and spiritual journey In the words of Sadhguru, “those who earn the grace of Bhairavi neither have to live in concern or fear of life or death, of poverty, or of failure. All that human beings consider as wellbeing will be theirs, if only they earn the grace of Bhairavi”.
