Tie your hair, wear Dhoti, no jeans; Guidelines to enter Bengaluru Temple
Bengaluru temple bars shorts, sleeveless tops or mini-skirts for women Devotees at the Sri Rajarajeshwari Temple in RR Nagar are not allowed to wear jeans, mini-skirts and sleeveless tops. Men have been advised to wear dhoti or pants while women should be decked in sarees or churidar with dupatta. “Modern outfits like bermudas, shirts, mini-skirts, middies, sleeveless tops, low-waist jeans and short length T-shirts are not permitted inside the temple,” reads a notice board at the entrance. Temple staffers say that men should wear dhotis/pants and shirt with or without angvastram around their waist and young girls below 18 years of age may wear full-length gowns. Women aren’t allowed to leave their hair open as well. “Of late, we have been noticing that many youngsters visit the temple in shorts. We advise women not to wear jeans or shorts here. We have to follow our culture,” said Hayagreeva Achar, member of the temple trust. “We advise people to follow the dress code. We don’t bar them from entering the premises,” said another temple staffer, according to the paper. “We live in an age where women have equal rights as men. In God's eyes, all human beings are the same. How does it matter if a woman is wearing jeans or sari, or a man is dressed in dhoti or shorts? All that matters is devotion,” reasoned Dhananjaya Padmanabhachar, a techie from JP Nagar. “A temple is a place of worship. Why can’t people wear what is mandated rather than being criticised by others? Dress code is followed in other religions too. What’s wrong if a temple does it? It is an unwritten rule followed in many mutts. Even some colleges have a dress code,” said Nethra Kashyap, a resident of JP Nagar, backing the move. -PTC News
