MADURAI: Coming to the rescue of an American woman who was denied entry into the Abishta Varadharajaperumal temple in Thanjavur despite her claim that she professed the Hindu religion, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently directed the HR&CE department not to deny her any right that is available to a Hindu woman devotee in any temple, including the aforementioned one, subject to the customs, agamas and regulations.
Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy gave the direction while hearing a petition filed by the woman, Laura Frances Iyengar, challenging an order passed by the HR&CE department on August 10, 2024, describing her as an ‘American Christian woman’ and restricting her to remain within the outer precincts of the aforementioned temple in order not to affect the sentiments of other devotees.
Justice Chakravarthy observed that the finding of the authorities that the petitioner is an ‘American Christian woman’ is factually erroneous and unsustainable. “Hinduism is a faith that has historically been inclusive and accommodating. Unlike certain other religions, it does not prescribe any mandatory formal ceremony of conversion or issuance of any certificate as a condition precedent for acceptance into the faith,” the judge observed.
Merely because the petitioner bears the name ‘Laura Frances’ or holds American citizenship, she cannot be denied recognition as a Hindu when her conduct and belief unequivocally establish her adherence to Hinduism, he opined. He therefore set aside the restriction and directed that the petitioner should be treated as a Hindu devotee, and all rights and obligations applicable to a Hindu woman devotee, in relation to temple worship, should equally apply to the petitioner.
Frances stated in her petition that although she is an American citizen, she has been professing the Hindu faith for several years and has identified herself as a Hindu even in her visa documents. She later got married to a Hindu man in the aforementioned temple in 2023.
However, when she visited the temple in 2024, some devotees objected to her entry under the impression that she did not belong to the Hindu faith. When her husband wrote to the
HR&CE authorities seeking permission for her to freely enter the temple, the authorities passed the order, prompting her to move court.
