New Delhi: The Khatu Shyam Temple Committee in Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur district has put up a banner asking devotees to wear “decent clothes” while visiting the temple. According to news agency ANI, the temple committee has banned “short clothes or ripped jeans” inside the temple premises.
The Khatu Shyam Temple Committee has put up a banner informing that a new dress code has been implemented for the devotees visiting the temple. According to the banner, the committee has urged the devotees to come to the temple wearing only ‘decent’ clothes, so that their body is properly covered.
UP | Dress code in force at Khatu Shyam temple in Hapur district. Ban on short clothes, ribbed jeans and night suits inside the temple (29/06) pic.twitter.com/tavEnRkDQi– ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) 30 June 2023
Devotees have been urged not to wear short clothes like half pants, Bermuda shirts, mini skirts, ripped jeans and night suits while visiting the temple. The temple committee has also warned that if any devotee is found wearing ‘inappropriate’ clothes, he will have to perform the puja from outside the temple.
Many devotees have welcomed the temple committee’s decision to implement the new dress code. ANI quoted Naveen Goyal, a devotee, as saying, “A dress code has been implemented in the temple. It is a good decision. People should wear clothes that are suitable for the temple.”
Naveen Goyal, a devotee says, “Dress code has been implemented in the temple. It is a good decision. People should wear clothes that are suitable for the temple” pic.twitter.com/g4qNXZ3Xu9– ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) 30 June 2023
Recently, many major temples across the country have implemented uniform dress codes for devotees, especially young boys and girls. The Mahanirvani Akhara in Uttarakhand, which controls several temples, is one of them that has implemented a dress code for devotees.
Other temples in Uttarakhand where the dress code has been implemented include Daksha Prajapati Temple at Kankhal in Haridwar, Neelkanth Mahadev Temple in Pauri district and Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple in Dehradun.
Speaking to ANI, Shrimahant Ravindra Puri, Secretary of Mahanirvani Akhara and President of Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad said, “Women and girls cannot enter these three temples wearing short clothes. These three temples come under Mahanirvani Akhara. ” Puri has appealed to women accompanying their family members to come to temples wearing clothes that cover at least 80 per cent of their body.
Puri also supported the decision of the Akhara’s Mahanirvani Akhara, saying that this system is already in force in the temples of South India and Maharashtra. He said, “Now this system is being implemented here as well. So that the devotees visiting the temple do not face any inconvenience.” He said that the temple is a place for introspection and not for entertainment.