Temple board plans to end practice of male devotees removing upper attire, says Kerala CM

PTI, Jan 1, 2025, 6:19 PM IST

Representative Image (iStock)

Thiruvananthapuram:  A Devaswom Board in Kerala is planning to end the long-standing practice of requiring male devotees to remove their upper attire before entering temples, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Wednesday.

The move by the board follows a statement made by Swami Satchidananda, head of the renowned Sivagiri Mutt founded by sage and social reformer Sree Narayana Guru.

The monk had described the practice as a social evil and called for its abolition during his address at the Sivagiri Pilgrimage conference on Tuesday.

The chief minister, who inaugurated the conference, had endorsed the monk’s call and suggested that such a step could be viewed as a significant intervention in social reform.

Responding to a query on the matter at a press conference on Wednesday, Vijayan said, “A representative of a Devaswom Board met me today. They said they were going to take that decision. I said it is good…a very good suggestion.” The chief minister, however, did not specify which Devaswom Board is set to implement the decision.

Kerala has five major Devaswoms–Guruvayur, Travancore, Malabar, Cochin, and Koodalmanikyam–collectively managing nearly 3,000 temples.

Vijayan said it was Satchidananda Swami who called for abolishing the practice, and he merely endorsed it in his speech later.

In his speech, Swami also stated that temples associated with Sree Narayana Guru would abolish this practice, he said.

When asked about the BJP’s demand for a discussion on the matter, the chief minister said, “Let it be discussed.” “That should be done by the Devaswom Board, not the government,” he added.

In his speech, Swami had said the practice of removing attire was introduced in the past to ensure whether men wore “poonool” (the sacred thread worn by Brahmins).

The monk had also said the practice was against the preachings of Sree Narayana Guru and it was sad to see that even some temples associated with the sage-reformer are still following it.