Temple authorities in Uttarakhand’s religious sites have imposed a dress code for the devotees. The secretary of the Mahanirvani Panchayati Akhara, Mahand Ravindra Puri, said that a formal ban has been imposed on the entry of “scantily-clad men and women” into the Daksh Prajapati Mandir in Haridwar, Tapkeshwar Mahadev Mandir in Dehradun and the Neelkanth Mahadev Mandir in Rishikesh.
“Only women who have their bodies covered up to 80% can enter these temples,” said Puri.
The ban has come into effect in temples affiliated with the Mahanirvani Panchayati Akhara, according to Puri, who is also the president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad.
“Sometimes people entering the temples are so skimpily dressed that one feels ashamed to even look at them,” said Puri when asked about the necessity to impose the ban. He stated that the ban will be extended to akhara-affiliated temples across the country as well.
“Every Monday, the temple receives a stream of devotees. Today’s youths come to the temple wearing clothes that ref;ect their total disregard for its sanctity,” continued Puri. He also said that a certain type of clothing hurts the religious sentiments of the devout.
“The sanctity of the temples must be maintained and people inside their precincts should conduct themselves accordingly. The ban is in accordance with Sanatan Dharma,” Katha Vyas Madhusudan Shastri said.