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Can girls go to temple during periods
In Jainism, periods (menstruation) are seen as a natural bodily process, not a sin and not a defect in the soul.
About going to temple:
- Scriptures do not clearly say:
There is no main Jain scripture that directly says, “Women cannot go to temple during periods.” The rules we see today are mostly community / family / temple customs.
- What is usually followed in many Jain families:
- During active bleeding (rajasvalā), women generally: - Do not enter garbhagriha (inner sanctum) - Do not touch murtis, puja items, or scriptures - Avoid abhishek, dravya-puja, aarti, etc. - Reason: for ritual shuddhi (purity) of puja place, not because the woman is “bad” or “low”.
- Can she enter the temple building at all?
- This varies: - Some temples and families say: don’t enter temple at all during periods. - Some allow: come up to the hall / outer area for darshan from distance, listen to pravachan, do mental bhakti, but don’t go near the idol or do dravya-puja. - So you should follow your local temple’s maryādā and your guru / elders’ guidance.
- Digambar & Shwetambar:
- Digambar: usually stricter – mostly no entry to garbhagriha or temple rituals during menses. - Shwetambar (many groups): often allow distant darshan / listening to pravachan, but still avoid touching murti and doing puja. Exact practice depends on your sangh.
- What you can do during periods:
- Jap of Navkar Mantra, other mantras - Prarthana, bhav-bhakti (inner devotion) - Listening to pravachan, doing svadhyay by listening/reading at home - Practising ahimsa, daya, good conduct
- When to start going normally again:
- After bleeding fully stops, take a full bath (head wash) and wear clean clothes, then resume normal temple puja. - Many follow “3 days, bath on 4th”, but the exact count is a family/custom rule, not a fixed Jain-Agam rule.
Essence: Jain dharma does not say that a menstruating girl is impure as a soul. Restrictions are mainly about ritual cleanliness and temple norms, and they differ by place. So:
- Spiritually – she is fully pure and can do bhakti.
- Practically – follow your local temple and family achar about entering the temple and doing dravya-puja.
