THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As Lord Vishnu, the presiding deity of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, reclines on the five-hooded Ananta, a confused Lekshmi wonders, ‘they are restraining churidar-clad ladies for a lord wearing only pyjama part of the ensemble’.
While debate and disarray continue at the temple premises, the relaxed dress code has created quite a stir on social media. There are trolls and memes showing naked Digambara monks being welcomed while women on salwar suites are shooed away. Quotes from Bertrand Russell to Swami Vivekananda are also doing rounds to prove the point.
At the same time, there are some serious discussions going on as well, taking the issue to an all-new ground. “As a regular temple-goer I know the problem of the devotees lies in unilateral decisions, not clothes.
Vadakke nada will not open for devotees, it’s exclusively reserved for some people. It’s not a simple women’s issue as you think,” posted actor and activist Parvathy. There are people pointing out that Padmanabha Swamy Temple, with its huge tourist flow, is not a regular temple.
“There are devotee communities whose life revolves around the temple. They are emotionally attached to the place and not ready for such drastic changes. But the temple authorities did nothing to take them in confidence before implementing the change,” she says.
The argument that churidar doesn’t come under Hindu dress code has been vetoed by many. In another post, a mother relates her experience when she went to visit the Pazhavangadi temple with her 12-year-old daughter. “The temple authorities said only women wearing dupattas were allowed inside. I can understand the logic when it comes to adults, but children? As my daughter was not wearing a dupatta they asked me to go and pray first, then come out and send my daughter with my dupatta inside. I wonder which god created such a rule,” she writes.
There are also people who believe there should be some sense of propriety since it’s a place of worship. “It’s a part of our culture to wear appropriate dress while visiting the temple. The place we are discussing is not a tourist destination,” writes Bhagya.
While there are people favouring and opposing the relaxed dress code, most agree that draping a dhoti around any kind of dress and entering the temple is a ridiculous practice. The social networking sites are strewn with photographs showing foreigners and locals draped in this absurd dress code. “Churidar is a decent dress. It’s better to see devotees in churdiar than that silly costume,” writes Mahesh.