Ratlam: Devotees wearing 'skimpy western dress' and shorts will not be permitted to enter the Goddess Kalika temple in Ratlam city of Madhya Pradesh, said the temple's priest. Several plaques around this nearly 400-year-old temple specify the types of banned clothing.
Temple priest gives reason to ban 'indecent clothes'
Kalika temple priest Rajendra Sharma said, "To protect the sanctity of the temple, devotees wearing western and skimpy clothes and shorts (half pants) will not be allowed to enter the temple. "
"Any devotee wearing indecent clothing won't be permitted to enter the temple or the sanctum sanctorum," Sharma said. He said that such devotees can have a darshan from outside.
Sharma claimed King Ratan Singh, who carved Ratlam, had built this temple 400 years ago and consecrated the clan goddess.
It is pertinent to mention that the temple is maintained by the Ratlam district administration under the Court of Wards Act. Tehsildar Rishabh Thakur said, "I have come to know about the decision of the temple management committee to ban western attire."
Devotees welcome decision
A devotee welcomed the decision, stating that western attire is an attack to India's rich culture and Sanatan Dharma.
In addition to the main deity, the temple also houses idols of Maa Chamunda and Maa Annapurna, and is visited by a large number of devotees from Ratlam and beyond. During Navratri, a Garba festival is held on the temple premises.
(With PTI inputs)
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