Importance of Toilet in Indian Culture

Excreting is an essential process of human metabolism and to that extent it

is an unavoidable daily ritual. All living being including human being use the
process of defecation to maintain a balance between input and output as far
as consumption of food for survival is concerned. However an important
difference is the sense of shame that human beings have as opposed to
other living beings. One of the markers of modern man is his sense of sexual
awareness and hence the need to cover his private parts. Therefore the act
of excretion which essentially exposes ones private parts therefore gradually
became a private affair.
Since good old times till today most of the people all around the world use
natural places i.e village peripheral areas, covered by shrubs, bush, grass,
forest, natural barriers etc. that can give a sense of privacy , to defecate.
Hence the open spaces are till date used as toilets. Even today two thirds of
Indians do not have pucca toilets and defecate in open. Toilets are also
associated with consumption of narcotic substances like cigarette, beedi,
gudakhu (a highly intoxicating paste) used for easing morion. Modern toilets
also often is a place for creativity, reading news papers etc.
There have been many instances in the past where various government and
civic authorities have been providing toilets to rural and urban masses under
various sanitation schemes including Swachh Bharat mission. However in
many cases especially in rural areas people seem reluctant to use
permanent toilets attached to their houses. Partly this has also to do with the
cultural beliefs attached to the concept of impurity attached to the act of
going to toilet.
The act of defecation is considered unhygienic if not impure across all
cultures. However in Hindu culture this also has a dimension of impurity.
Hence many people use separate loin clothes for going to toilet. They take a
full bath or at least partially wash their essential limbs after coming from
toilet. In general rural households and even in urban houses to a large
extent, toilet is placed at the extreme back of the house and generally the
bathroom is also adjacent to toilet so that people can take bath or wash
themselves after coming out of toilets.
Culturally speaking generally ladies of the households wake up in the
morning and after using toilet they take bath before entering kitchen and
pooja room which are considered sacred spaces. In case of open defecation
also they take bath in the village ponds before returning to home and
starting their daily cooking chores.Brahmins and some other caste male who
use sacred thread as a caste marker also generally wrap this thread around
their right years while using toilet for urinating or defecating. The belief is

that by doing such the purity of the sacred thread and upper part of the body
is protected.
Toilets have a great symbolic meaning in caste system though it is highly
despicable. In old days and to some extent today also the toilets were very
rudimentary unlike modern septic toilets. The excreta is collected in a pan
and every day the sweepers belonging to the untouchable caste were
supposed to manually clean the pan and carry loads of excreta on their head
collected from various households. Such inhuman practice continues even
today in many parts of the country even though it is legally banned. This is
the negative side of the culture that discriminates on the basis of caste that
is ascriptive in nature. Gandhiji tried his best to eradicate such inhuman
practices throughout his life. In fact in his Sabarmati ashram each inhabitant
including himself used to clean individual toilets.
Even in independent houses built on plots there are often a backdoor to
enable the sweepers to enter to clean the toilet. After they do the cleaning
and go the ladies sprinkle water on the pathways as a symbolic purification
ritual. Location of separate toilets detached from the main house area often
causes inconvenience during rainy seasons besides safety issues from
external anti social elements and various kinds of reptiles that sneak into
such remote toilets. In modern day apartments one does not employ
sweepers to clean the toilets and normally the maid servant or the ladies end
up cleaning the toilet using various chemicals and disinfectants.
As per vaastu shastra , which again is a cultural part of our life, toilets are a
source of negative energy having adverse impact on family health and
finances if not located properly. The most favorable location advised as per
vaastu is the north-west corner of the house and to the extent possible to
have separate toilet and bathroom. Even if one does not believe in such
things, it is accepted generally that a clean and hygienic toilet has positive
effect on health and mind of family members. Many families neglect this
aspect even though toilet plays an important role in our daily life and general
wellbeing.
The evolution of toilets have seen a great change over time, from open fields
to the latest ultra-modern hi-tech toilets. As the society becomes more urban
and modern in that sense, the cultural importance of toilets are diminishing
gradually. It is looked at from hygiene and comfort rather that the concept of
purity and impurity.
In modern dwellings toilet is just another room..