One other reform vs custom conflict brews in Kerala over shirtless rule | India Information – Occasions of India

The 12 months was 1982. A scuffle broke out within the eating corridor of the Guruvayur temple complicated when these serving particular free meals manhandled an individual who refused to take away his higher garment. They demanded to know whether or not the one that sat among the many sacred thread-wearing shirtless males was a Brahmin or not. For, it was a ‘Brahmin Oottu’ (meal) and people belonging to different castes had been unwelcome. The one that challenged the customized was religious chief and social reformer Sree Narayana Guru‘s disciple Swami Ananda Theerthan, recognized for his relentless preventing in opposition to caste discrimination.
As information concerning the manhandling of Ananda Theerthan made headlines the subsequent day, temple authorities and the government confronted extreme criticism. The then chief minister Okay Karunakaran reacted swiftly. The apply of ‘Brahmana Oottu’ was abolished, and a mass feast organised in the identical eating space. Karunakaran, together with a number of different neighborhood members together with Dalit activist and author Kallara Sukumaran, participated within the occasion.
Nonetheless, the apply of some temples insisting that male devotees enter the temple with naked higher our bodies continues to at the present time. Now, 4 a long time later, a name by Satchidananda Swamy, head of Sivagiri mutt which was based by Sree Narayana Guru, to dispose of the shirtless custom has sparked a recent debate. Satchidananda Swamy put throughout his demand within the presence of Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on the inaugural session of the annual Sivagiri pilgrimage. The mutt chief argued that the gown code had nothing to do with scriptures or spirituality and was a disgusting residue of casteism in Kerala. “Temples and deities are devices that assist devotees attain the formless and anonymous God. It has nothing to do with the exterior look or the gown code of the devotees. What’s going on within the devotee’s thoughts whereas contained in the temple and in entrance of the deity is the one factor that issues,” mentioned Swamy.
In accordance with him, such gown codes had been the invention of the clergy geared toward excluding non-Brahmins from temples. He identified that even some non-Brahmin monks had been attempting to implement such Brahmanical traditions, together with in some temples beneath the Sivagiri mutt’s administration.
Vijayan who, just some days earlier tried to disassociate Sree Narayana Guru from Sanatana Dharma, responded positively to Satchidananda Swamy’s name however with warning. He mentioned the abolition of the gown code restrictions must be executed solely after reaching a consensus amongst temple stakeholders. The CM’s measured response was most likely on account of the bitter expertise his govt confronted when it tried to implement the Supreme Courtroom’s order allowing girls of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple.
“Satchidananda Swamy’s suggestion is a optimistic one. However the Devaswom board alone can’t take a call. Consensus is crucial,” mentioned Travancore Devaswom Board president P S Prasanth, echoing the CM’s sentiment.
In accordance with historian M G Sasibhooshan, the gown code might need originated as an try to discourage folks from casually straying into temples or treating them as vacationer spots. However he identified that such restrictions are prevalent solely in Kerala or in a couple of temples just like the Sri Mookambika Temple in Karnataka as a result of shared traditions with Malayali Brahmins. Most different Indian temples enable devotees to enter even the sanctum sanctorum with out gown code restrictions.
Sasibhooshan additionally mentioned the Kerala govt had made an abortive try to abolish gown code restrictions within the Nineteen Seventies. The dialogue took a contentious flip after Nair Service Society (NSS) basic secretary G Sukumaran Nair got here out in opposition to Pinarayi Vijayan’s help for Swamy’s proposal. Nair argued that temple traditions couldn’t be altered by anybody, together with the government. He additionally questioned Satchidananda Swamy’s proper to problem temple practices. In accordance with him, every temple had its personal practices and traditions, and the gown code was a necessary a part of it.
The confrontation continued as Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam basic secretary Vellappally Natesan launched a counter-attack on the NSS basic secretary, saying such points mustn’t divide the Hindu neighborhood. Yogakshema Sabha president Akkeeraman Kaladasan Bhattathirippad struck a extra conciliatory tone. He acknowledged that pointless restrictions and evil practices ought to certainly be abolished however confused that adjustments have to be carried out by way of broader session on a case-by-case foundation.
He additionally rejected the argument that the gown code existed to assist Brahmin monks establish their neighborhood members. “Customs and traditions fluctuate throughout temples. For example, Sabarimala temple has no gown code restrictions, and even non-Hindus are welcome there. However the identical temple does not enable girls between 10 to 50 age teams to enter. We aren’t in opposition to change, but it surely’s unlucky to attribute Brahminical hegemony to something and every little thing,” he mentioned.