Why Indian women are banned from funeral rites

February 12, 2016 Incredible India Valli Sarvani No comments

Many Indian women have been protesting against the rules which bar them from praying in temples and mosques. It all started when authorities of Shani temple in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra cleansed the shrine because a female worshipper entered the restricted premises.

Indian women are actually barred from conducting several rituals like lighting funeral pyres. There are several reasons for such skewing in society. The Indian society has been male dominated for a long time.

The Hindu cremation completely bars the presence of a woman despite how important it is. One would think this is an old practice. However, that is not the case. Researchers tried to trace back to the roots of this practice but they couldn’t find any proof. Even in Mahabharata, women were part of cremation.

Apparently, the heir of the property of the deceased was supposed to lead the funeral procession and light the pyre. Since the custom was to grant the sons the power of attorney most women were not given anything.

If there are no male heirs or any males in the house, the elders would rather have a neighbor do it instead of a woman.

The tradition became in such a way that women are supposed to take the responsibility of children while men went out for cremation.

Another popular belief which led to this practice is that a son tending to the funeral would help the deceased go to heaven.

Another belief is that women have weaker hearts. Most people used to and still believe that women have weaker hearts and cannot stand to watch a burning pyre. This is another reason to keep women away from the funeral rituals.

One of the most ridiculous reasons given is that women attract ghosts and evil spirits. The belief is that the cremation ground is filled with many ghosts and spirits and women are considered to be soft targets for them.

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