Sivagiri Mutt monks to hold march against practice of removing shirts in temples

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 16 (PTI) Monks of the Sivagiri Mutt will lead a march to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) headquarters here on Friday morning on the issue of ending certain long-drawn practices like removing the upper attire of male devotees for entering temples.

A statement issued by the Sivagiri Mutt on Thursday said that the march would commence from the statue of Sree Narayana Guru near the Museum here on January 17 morning and end at the TDB headquarters.

The march comes weeks after Swami Satchidananda, head of the famed Sivagiri Mutt founded by renowned sage-social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, called for an end to the long-drawn practice of demanding to remove the upper attire of male devotees for entering temples.

He had described the practice as a social evil and urged to abolish it.

Following his statement, CM Pinarayi Vijayan had said that a Devaswom Board in Kerala was planning to end the long-standing practice.

The CM had also endorsed the monk's call and suggested that such a step could be viewed as a significant intervention in social reform.

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

The CM's endorsement had drawn a sharp reaction from NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair, who said the government should not interfere with the customs and practices in temples.

Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Nateshan, on the other hand, had said that the row over the custom of male devotees removing shirts before entering temples should not affect unity of Hindus.

Nateshan had said there was nothing new about the statement by Swami Satchidananda and that many temples under SNDP were allowing male devotees to enter temples wearing upper garments.

Some temples may have different practices, but these cannot be abolished in a day, he had said. PTI HMP HMP ROH