Hindu temples in southern India enforce western clothing ban | W...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/01/hindu-temples-in...

Hindu temples in southern India

enforce western clothing ban
Madras high court has ordered temple authorities in Tamil Nadu to refuse
entry to people in jeans, shorts and other garments
Agence France-Presse
Friday 1 January 2016 15.41GMT

Hindu temples in southern India have begun turning away devotees

wearing western clothes after a court order banning jeans and shorts as
inappropriate for spiritual worship came into eect.
Madras high court ordered temple authorities in Tamil Nadu state last
month to refuse entry to anyone wearing jeans, bermuda shorts, skirts,
short sleeves or tight leggings to enhance spiritual ambiance.
Hundreds of sta members in the coastal states 6,000 temples,
ranging from small shrines to major religious sites, were on alert on
Friday for people outing the ban, which came into force on 1 January.
We have enforced the court order from today. A few people were
politely turned back for not wearing the prescribed dress, a
superintendent at the Arulmigu Ramanatha Swami temple in
Rameswaram district said.
The dress code applies to locals and foreigners visiting the sites, some
of which are major tourist attractions. Arulmigu Ramanatha Swami
temple receives more than 4 million visitors a year, the ocial said.
Men are allowed to wear dhoti, a traditional long lower garment,
pyjamas with a cloth top or formal shirts and trousers. Women are
allowed to wear saris or half saris with a blouse.
We should dress for public worship in a way that is generally
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Hindu temples in southern India enforce western clothing ban | W...

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considered appropriate, the court said in the order.

Several Hindu temples and other religious sites in India restrict
devotees from entering the premises on the pretext of gender, dress or
eating habits, with some denying entry to non-vegetarians.
In Mumbai, a womens rights group is ghting a legal battle to overturn
a four-year ban on women entering Haji Ali Dargah, a Muslim shrine,
where menstruation was cited as the reason for the restriction.
More news

Topics
India
Hinduism
Religion
South and Central Asia

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