Bengaluru: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have petitioned authorities of the government-run Kukke Subramanya temple in coastal Karnataka to bring in a dress code for all visitors.
The temple, one of Karnataka's richest in terms of offerings it draws from devotees, receives 20,000 visitors on an average each day.
Located at the foothills of the Western Ghats in Dakshina Kannada district, this temple is known for special pujas to ward off 'naga dosha' or the belief of bad influence in horoscopes, and has drawn some celebrity devotees, including Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan.
The VHP and Bajrang Dal now want the temple to make traditional Hindu attire compulsory for entry.
"This is a spiritual centre. While most devotees do wear traditional dresses, there are some who don't. This is causing problems to other devotees," the petition to the temple authorities read.
The temple comes under the administration of the state government's Muzrai (Endowments) Department. The minister for Muzrai, Kota Srinivasa Poojary, told News18 on Thursday that while a proposal to implement dress codes in temples had come in from many organisations, the government is yet to take a call.
"There is a petition from Kukke Subramanya and a few other temples. But we will have to discuss the implications. There is a 'dharmika parishat' meeting next week when we will discuss this. We will also have to discuss this with our officials," he said.
Many state-administered temples such as the Kukke Subramanya and the Chamundeshwari temple atop a hill in Mysore are major tourist attractions as well, apart from being places of worship.
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