Dress code in temples, a regressive practice or custom?  

Is it a way of practice or ‘social evil’? Kerala’s Sivagiri Mutt head’s statement brings the debate over dress code in temples back to table

Hyderabad: Swami Sathchidananda, head of Kerala’s Sivagiri Mutt, has reignited the debate on dress code in temples with his calls to abandon the practice of men removing their upper garment before entering temples.

Terming it as a ‘social evil’, he said while speaking at the Sivagiri Pilgrimage conference recently: “In the past, this practice (removing the upper garment) was started to ensure that punool (a sacred thread worn by the upper castes) could be seen. That custom still continues in temples… There is no doubt that this is an evil practice. A timely change is required.” The mutt, founded by 19th century social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, is a major pilgrimage centre of the backward Ezhava community in Kerala.

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Kerala has five major Devaswoms – Guruvayur, Travancore, Malabar, Cochin, and Koodalmanikyam – collectively managing nearly 3,000 temples.

The shirt is viewed by some as a simple attire and not a topic for debate. “We can understand if someone wearing a T-shirt with weird slogans, etc enters a temple which goes against the decorum. But a plain shirt should not be seen as a mark of disrespect,” says a devotee.

Rangarajan Chilkur, Head Priest, Chilkur Balaji Devasthanam, differs and points out that the practice of men removing the upper garment before entering a temple is not regressive. “It is a way of practice. And devotees have to follow. We may be a 4G or 5G generation but in Chilkur temple, for example, I’m a Balaji ‘guy’. We are answerable to only Balaji not to people who comment on our customs and usages, says Rangarajan Chilkur, Head Priest, Chilkur Balaji Devasthanam.

There are many temples across India which strictly adhere to dress code. Many new ones too have either enforced or are planning to enforce a mandatory dress code to maintain the spiritual sanctity of the place. Notice boards indicate dress codes, emphasising the importance of traditional attire — dhotis, kurta, pajams for men sans shirt, and saree, half-saree, chudidar with dupatta for women.

The Kerala High Court in 2016 ruled that women wearing salwar kameez or churidars must tie a dhoti over it to enter the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The temple had relaxed the dress code by allowing women devotees to wear churidars or salwars.

Pandit Surya Narayan Rathsharma, expert on Jagannath culture, too agrees with Rangarajan Chilkur. “If we have to go to temple we have to follow rules. Otherwise why to go to temple at all?” he says.

Temples with strict dress code

• The Puri Jagannath Temple has a mandatory dress code but usually, when dressed properly and decently, devotees are allowed inside the temple

• The Maharashtra Mandir Mahasangh has enforced a ‘vastra sanhita’ or dress code for temples in the State

• In 2023, the Digambar Jain Temple in Shimla banned entry to devotees dressed in ‘indecent’ attire

• In Hampi, devotees visiting the Virupaksha Temple cannot wear jeans, bermuda shorts etc that are considered ‘indecent’. Dress code is being implemented in more than 100 temples in Dakshina Kannada district

• Authorities of Kattemadu Sri Mahamrityunjaya Mahadeshwara temple near Mysuru prevented a section of the locals clad in traditional Kodava attire from entering the temple on December 28, 2024, citing temple bylaws that devotees should be clad in dhotis. The management is expected to take a decision on dress code on Jan 6.

• On New Year, the Endowments Department in Goa gave an advisory saying temples are no place for fashion. The temple managements were asked to provide lungi and torso covering cloth to those not dressed as per rules

In Telangana

• Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy Temple in Yadagirigutta was mired in controversy when its Executive Officer Bhaskar Rao arrived at the temple sporting a t-shirt and track pants a week ago. The temple follows a strict dress code

• Sree Seetha Ramachandra Swamy temple in Bhadrachalam too follows a strict dress code. Children under ten years can wear modern clothes but not tight pants, shirts or jeans

• A similar notice board has been put up at the famous Hanuman temple in Karmanghat in Hyderabad about the dress code to be maintained by the devotees. Such notice boards can be found at temples across the State.