A dress code imposed by the Khatu Shyam temple committee in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur district has asked devotees to visit the temple wearing decent closthes and banned short clothes or ripped jeans. A banner stating the dress code has been put up just outside the temple premises. As per the banner, devotees have been requested to come to the temple while wearing only 'decent' clothes that will cover their body properly. Devotees have been urged not to wear short clothes such as half pants, bermuda, mini skirt, ripped jeans and night suits while they are coming to the temple, reported news agency ANI.
The banner states that if any devotee is wearing 'inappropriate' clothes, they will have to offer their prayers from outside the temple.
A devotee, Naveen Goyal told ANI, "A dress code has been implemented in the temple. This is a good decision. People must wear clothes that are appropriate for the temple."
Recently, similar dress code was also implemented for women and girls in three major temples that come under Mahanirvani Akhara in Uttarakhand. The temples in which this was impleneted in Uttarakhand are Daksh Prajapati Temple at Kankhal in Haridwar, Neelkanth Mahadev Temple in Pauri district and Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple in Dehradun. Shrimahant Ravindra Puri, Secretary of Mahanirvani Akhara and President of Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad while talking to ANI said that "Women and girls cannot enter these three temples wearing short clothes. These three temples come under Mahanirvani Akhara."
Puri appealed to the women and their family members to come to the said temples with at least 80 per cent of their body covered. He supported Akhara's decision by saying that this system is already in force in temples of South India and Maharashtra. He added, "Now this system is being implemented here also. So that the devotees coming to the temple do not face any uncomfortable situation."
He further said that the temple is a place for introspection and not for entertainment, reported ANI.