How dress code for male priests to not wear upper garment continues till today after protests
Sree Narayana Guru's disciple Swami Ananda Theerthan, known for his relentless fighting against caste discrimination.
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As news about the manhandling of Ananda Theerthan made headlines the next day, temple authorities and the govt faced severe criticism. The then chief minister K Karunakaran reacted swiftly. The practice of 'Brahmana Oottu' was abolished, and a mass feast organised in the same dining area. Karunakaran, along with several other community members including Dalit activist and writer Kallara Sukumaran, participated in the event.
However, the practice of some temples insisting that male devotees enter the temple with bare upper bodies continues to this day. Now, four decades later, a call by Satchidananda Swamy, head of Sivagiri mutt which was founded by Sree Narayana Guru, to do away with the shirtless tradition has sparked a fresh debate. Satchidananda Swamy put across his demand in the presence of Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan at the inaugural session of the annual Sivagiri pilgrimage. The mutt chief argued that the dress code had nothing to do with scriptures or spirituality and was a disgusting residue of casteism in Kerala. «Temples and deities are instruments that help devotees reach the formless and nameless God. It has nothing to do with the external appearance or the dress code of the devotees. What is going on in the devotee's mind while inside the temple and in front of the deity is the only thing that matters,» said Swamy.
