The year was 1982. A fight broke out in the dining room of the Guruvayur temple complex when those serving free special meals manhandled a person who refused to remove his upper garment. They demanded to know whether the person sitting among the shirtless men wearing the sacred thread was a Brahmin or not. Because it was a ‘Brahmin Oottu’ (meal) and those belonging to other castes were not welcome. The person who challenged custom was a spiritual leader and social reformer. Sree Narayana GuruHis disciple Swami Ananda Theerthan, known for his tireless fight against caste discrimination.
When news of the mistreatment of Ananda Theerthan made headlines the next day, the temple authorities and the government faced severe criticism. The then chief minister K Karunakaran reacted quickly. The practice of ‘Brahmana Oottu’ was abolished and a massive party was organized in the same dining hall. Karunakaran, along with several other members of the community, 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 their upper body naked continues to this day. Now, four decades later, a call from Satchidananda Swamy, chief of sivagiri stray dog which was founded by Sree Narayana Guru, to end the shirtless tradition, has sparked a new debate. Satchidananda Swamy presented his demand in the presence of Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan at the inaugural session of the annual pilgrimage to Sivagiri. The mutt chief argued that the dress code had nothing to do with scriptures or spirituality and was a disgusting residue of the caste system 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 happens in the mind of the devotee while being inside the temple and in front of the deity is the only thing that matters,” Swamy said.
According to him, these dress codes were an invention of the clergy with the aim of excluding non-Brahmins from temples. He noted that even some non-Brahminical priests were trying to impose such Brahmanical traditions, even in some temples under the administration of the mutt Sivagiri.
Vijayan who, just a few days earlier attempted to dissociate Sree Narayana Guru from Sanatana Dharma, responded positively to Satchidananda Swamy’s call but cautiously. He said the abolition of dress code restrictions should be done only after reaching a consensus among the temple stakeholders. The CM’s measured response was probably due to the bitter experience his government faced when it tried to implement the Supreme Court order allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple.
“Satchidananda Swamy’s suggestion is positive. But the Devaswom board alone cannot take a decision. Consensus is essential,” Travancore Devaswom board president PS Prasanth said, echoing the CM’s sentiment.
According to historian MG Sasibhooshan, the dress code could have originated as an attempt to discourage people from casually entering temples or treating them as tourist sites. But he noted that such restrictions prevail only in Kerala or in some temples like the Sri Mookambika Temple in Karnataka due to shared traditions with Malayali Brahmins. Most other Indian temples allow devotees to enter even the sanctum sanctorum without dress code restrictions.
Sasibhooshan also said that the Kerala government had made an unsuccessful attempt to abolish dress code restrictions in the 1970s. The discussion took a controversial turn after Nair Service Society (NSS) general secretary G Sukumaran Nair, will speak out against Pinarayi Vijayan’s support for Swamy’s proposal. Nair argued that no one, not even the government, could alter the temple traditions. He also questioned Satchidananda Swamy’s right to question temple practices. According to him, each temple had its own practices and traditions, and the dress code was an essential part of it.
The war of words continued as Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan launched a counterattack against the NSS general secretary, saying such issues should not divide the Hindu community. Yogakshema Sabha president Akkeeraman Kaladasan Bhattathirippad adopted a more conciliatory tone. He acknowledged that unnecessary restrictions and poor practices should indeed be abolished, but stressed that changes must be implemented through broader consultation and on a case-by-case basis.
He also rejected the argument that the dress code existed to help Brahmin priests identify members of their community. “Customs and traditions vary depending on the temple. For example, the Sabarimala temple has no restrictions on the dress code, and even non-Hindus are welcome there. But the same temple does not allow entry to women between 10 and 50 “We are not against change, but it is unfortunate to attribute brahminical hegemony to anything,” he said.