Pathanamthitta, Kerala: A group of devotees staged a silent protest at a Lord Ayyappa temple in Perunadu on Sunday by entering the shrine without removing their shirts, challenging a long-standing practice followed by male worshippers.
The protesters, members of the SNDP Samyuktha Samara Samithi, were seen standing in a queue and offering prayers while keeping their upper garments on. Despite the breach of tradition, neither the police nor the temple management objected to their actions.
Following the protest, the group called for a permanent end to the practice, which requires male devotees to remove their shirts before entering the temple.
“The protest remained peaceful. The temple management had already stated that they had no objection if devotees entered with their shirts on, though traditionally, worshippers followed the custom,” a police official said.
The demonstration comes months after Swami Satchidananda, the head of the Sivagiri Mutt, urged temples across Kerala to abolish the practice. He described it as a social relic rooted in caste-based discrimination, originally intended to identify whether men wore the poonool (the sacred thread traditionally worn by Brahmins).
The Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, a socio-religious organization advocating for equality, has been at the forefront of this demand, arguing that temple customs should evolve to reflect modern values of inclusivity and dignity.
