Guest guest Posted December 12, 2005 Report Share Posted December 12, 2005 Bhubaneswar, INDIA: An American woman who claimed she had converted to Hindusim but was denied entry into the 'Hindu-only' Lingaraj temple in the Orissa capital, said she would continue her struggle to seek entry even as the Congress and a major Hindu group announced support for her. Pamela K. Fleig, who said she had changed her Christian religion after marrying Anil Kumar Yadav, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, was denied entry into the 11th century temple on Oct 30. The temple priests said they would only allow Yadav in and denied entry to his wife saying she was a foreigner and not a Hindu. Fleig's claim that she had become a Hindu at the Arya Samaj in Varanasi in June and married Yadav on Aug 3 as per the Hindu Marriage Ac did not help matters. Yadav and his wife lodged a police complaint and tried on two more occasions - on Nov 2 and Nov 5 - to enter the temple but the priests were unmoved. They did not get any help from the temple administration or the police. "The temple has never allowed any foreigner because most of them are Christian," a priest at the temple said. "Even devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskon) are not allowed to enter the temple," he said. Meanwhile, leaders of the Congress and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) came out in her support. Subash Chouhan, a VHP leader, said: "Anybody who expresses she or he is Hindu should be allowed to enter the temple." Senior state Congress leader, Arya Kumar Gyanendra, said: "When she has said she has adopted Hinduism I don't understand why priests and the temple administration are not allowing her to enter." "I don't have any personal opinion on this," said a senior state endowment department official. "We cannot force the priests to allow her in unless they agree." According to Yadav, the temple displays a notice saying that only Hindus are allowed which gives his wife the right to enter. "I don't know why they don't want her to enter when she is already a Hindu," Yadav said. "We will continue our fight against this injustice. "We are going to seek legal help for further course of action," he said. SOURCE: New Kerala. Posted on 07 Nov 2005, IANS. Denied temple entry, American woman gets support. By Jatindra Dash. URL: http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=49220 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2005 Report Share Posted December 12, 2005 Define Hindu I say ! It is a word created for inhabitants east of the Hindukush mountains. So technically the Pakis should be allowed into the temple ! A more accurate description of a Hindu would be one who lives by the Vedas, in which case this lady has every right to worship. In any case God in any form belongs to any one who chooses to worship that form. I experienced the same problem at the Dakshin Kali Temple in Kolkata. I had taken a foreigner, a Dutch gentleman, and he was denied darshan. Okay he was not a Hindu, but God belongs to everyone and everyone belongs to God. One can say the women in their menstrual cycles should not enter as the menstrual period is one of cleansing. One does not go to the house of a friend with soap on their face ! This is a very bigoted approach. Barring entry is basically arrogance and puffing up the ego of the priests. In any case the priests here are know for their material greed, so this show of ‘purity’ fools no one. Wait till them meet Lord Krishna, he will give them a nice kick ! Devi Bhakta <devi_bhakta wrote: Bhubaneswar, INDIA: An American woman who claimed she had converted to Hindusim but was denied entry into the 'Hindu-only' Lingaraj temple in the Orissa capital, said she would continue her struggle to seek entry even as the Congress and a major Hindu group announced support for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 13, 2005 Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 Elizabeth Usha Harding, the author of "Kali, Black Goddess of Dakshineshwar" had no trouble entering the temple in Kolkata. I guess she convinced the priests that she was a Hindu! My Canadian friend Brian also had no trouble entering Hindu temples when he visited India. But he was dressed in a dhoti, wearing rudrakshas and the sacred cord his Guru gave him. And a few days in the Indian sun turned him brown as a berry. (I'm envious! Centuries of my ancestors interbreeding with Eastern Europeans has left me seriously melanin-deficient.) -- Len Redder Red <redderred wrote: Define Hindu I say ! It is a word created for inhabitants east of the Hindukush mountains. So technically the Pakis should be allowed into the temple ! A more accurate description of a Hindu would be one who lives by the Vedas, in which case this lady has every right to worship. In any case God in any form belongs to any one who chooses to worship that form. I experienced the same problem at the Dakshin Kali Temple in Kolkata. I had taken a foreigner, a Dutch gentleman, and he was denied darshan. Okay he was not a Hindu, but God belongs to everyone and everyone belongs to God. One can say the women in their menstrual cycles should not enter as the menstrual period is one of cleansing. One does not go to the house of a friend with soap on their face ! This is a very bigoted approach. Barring entry is basically arrogance and puffing up the ego of the priests. In any case the priests here are know for their material greed, so this show of ‘purity’ fools no one. Wait till them meet Lord Krishna, he will give them a nice kick ! Devi Bhakta <devi_bhakta wrote: Bhubaneswar, INDIA: An American woman who claimed she had converted to Hindusim but was denied entry into the 'Hindu-only' Lingaraj temple in the Orissa capital, said she would continue her struggle to seek entry even as the Congress and a major Hindu group announced support for her. International aid Devi Traditions Divine Visit your group "" on the web. Shopping Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Shopping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 13, 2005 Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 I never had any real problems either. - Len Rosenberg Tuesday, December 13, 2005 9:06 AM Re: American Woman Denied Temple Entry Elizabeth Usha Harding, the author of "Kali, Black Goddess of Dakshineshwar" had no trouble entering the temple in Kolkata. I guess she convinced the priests that she was a Hindu! My Canadian friend Brian also had no trouble entering Hindu temples when he visited India. But he was dressed in a dhoti, wearing rudrakshas and the sacred cord his Guru gave him. And a few days in the Indian sun turned him brown as a berry. (I'm envious! Centuries of my ancestors interbreeding with Eastern Europeans has left me seriously melanin-deficient.) -- Len Redder Red <redderred wrote: Define Hindu I say ! It is a word created for inhabitants east of the Hindukush mountains. So technically the Pakis should be allowed into the temple ! A more accurate description of a Hindu would be one who lives by the Vedas, in which case this lady has every right to worship. In any case God in any form belongs to any one who chooses to worship that form. I experienced the same problem at the Dakshin Kali Temple in Kolkata. I had taken a foreigner, a Dutch gentleman, and he was denied darshan. Okay he was not a Hindu, but God belongs to everyone and everyone belongs to God. One can say the women in their menstrual cycles should not enter as the menstrual period is one of cleansing. One does not go to the house of a friend with soap on their face ! This is a very bigoted approach. Barring entry is basically arrogance and puffing up the ego of the priests. In any case the priests here are know for their material greed, so this show of 'purity' fools no one. Wait till them meet Lord Krishna, he will give them a nice kick ! Devi Bhakta <devi_bhakta wrote: Bhubaneswar, INDIA: An American woman who claimed she had converted to Hindusim but was denied entry into the 'Hindu-only' Lingaraj temple in the Orissa capital, said she would continue her struggle to seek entry even as the Congress and a major Hindu group announced support for her. International aid Devi Traditions Divine Visit your group "" on the web. Shopping Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Shopping International aid Devi Traditions Divine a.. Visit your group "" on the web. b.. c.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.