Women are not allowed to enter a temple in Janakpur because of “certain tradition” in what sounds a bit strange in this day and age.

Women devotees can pay homage to the deity of Rajdevi Temple, which opens only for 15 days during the Dashain festival, in the city of Janaki Temple through the window only.

While rights activists see the practice as a superstition and an act of discrimination against women, religious practitioners hold a

different view.

The locally held belief is that in ancient times, when a woman entered the temple to perform puja, she had disappeared and never returned, according to  Ram Giri, the priest at of the temple.

Yet another belief that has played a role in keeping women off the temple is “if women are allowed, some could enter the temple during menstruation and that could impure the temple”.

Deity Rajdevi is worshipped as Kuldevi, the special and ancestral deity of King Janak, the ruler of Mithila which is present day Janakpur.

Right activist Binod Rabi Das, who is a vocal critic of the practice, says such superstitious tradition must come to an end. Any practice that discriminates against women should end, he said.