Women's entry at Shani temple will increase rapes: Shankaracharya

HARIDWAR: Shankaracharya of Dwaraka-Sharda Peeth Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati has attributed the drought-like situation in Maharashtra to the worship of the "unworthy" Shirdi Sai Baba by the state's people.The seer, who is on a fortnight-long visit to Haridwar, said worshipping Sai Baba -who was a "fakir" -as if he were a god was "inauspicious"."Calamity strikes where those unworthy of worship are worshipped," the Shankaracharya said, quoting scriptures to emphasise that "such places suffer drought, flood, death or fear". "Maharashtra is facing all of these," he added.This is not the first time he has voiced disapproval of Sai Baba worship. In 2014, he had said the "mystic who was no god" ought not be worshipped, and asked his devotees remove his photographs and idols from temples where “he gets pride of place with Hindu deities".Speaking to TOI, the 94year-old seer on Sunday also said women should not have entered the sanctum sanctorum of the Shani Shingnapur temple as "it will bring bad luck to them“."Shani is paap grah (planet of sins). Worshipping him will lead to rise in crime against women," he added.