I was asked, "Why can't women go to their temples during their menstrual cycles? Can't they just go without telling anyone?"

I had a conversation about this recently with a young woman in India. She pointed out several things, including how, in her culture, it’s forbidden for a woman to enter a temple during her menstrual cycle but okay for a guy to pee in public.

My favorite question she raised was. "Why would the Hindu gods and goddesses be uncomfortable with a human woman’s biology?"

This discomfort sounds suspiciously more like the thinking of MEN rather than gods.

Think about it: Does the Bhagavad Gita mention menstruating women? Does the Mahabharata?

Of course not!

Look closer. Research the origin, and you’ll discover that misogynist ideas such as this were introduced by common men. Men who were likely confused and often even threatened by a woman’s biology.

It is interesting to note that Buddhists and Sikhs view a woman’s menstrual cycle as simple, natural biology with no bearing whatsoever on a woman’s spiritual purity.

And… to answer the question… Apparently, some Hindu women do go to the temple anyway.

Nov. 16 note: I find it interesting that most of the hundreds of upvotes for my answer were by female Quorans, while it was only males who expressed any discomfort or objection with it. 

You'll find small-minded rules like this in many major religions. Laws that benefit only a tiny segment of the population, either financially or by supporting their own prejudices while imagining themselves as representing the Creator.