'No sarees for foreigners, no dress code for pilgrims at Kashi Vishwanath temple'

Varanasi, Nov 24: Kashi Vishwanath temple authorities on Monday denied media reports that they were planning to impose a dress code for the pilgrims and said it had only urged the devotees to wear "decent clothes".

"There is no such dress code of wearing saree imposed for foreign women as well as domestic pilgrims visiting the Kashi Vishwanath temple," Ashok Dwivedi, Chairman of Sri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Nyas Parishad said today.

[Scantily-dressed foreigners to get saris at Kashi Vishwanath temple]

"We want to clarify that it is not any school or college where dress codes are applicable. It's a temple and we cannot impose any dress code for pilgrims," he stressed.

He however said, "The temple authorities have only urged the pilgrims - foreigner or domestic - to visit the temple wearing decent clothes, such as saree."

Dwivedi further said "a senior official concerned with the functioning of the temple had proposed to introduce the dress code out of "emotional pouring" following demands for "decent" dress code, but it has not been imposed."

The Temple's additional CEO P N Dwivedi had reportedly said that a dress code was being mulled for the pilgrims following demands of some domestic visitors, particularly those hailing from south India, who were making objections to the "revealing" dresses of foreigners.

The matter was discussed in a meeting of senior district officials here two days ago, Dwivedi had said yesterday.

He had said they had no objections to tourists wearing jeans and trousers or salwar suit but it was planned that foreign or domestic?women pilgrims in an "indecent" dress would be asked to change their dress and wrap a saree.

A changing room for pilgrims has been arranged by the temple itself there, where they would be provided saree free of any charge to wrap before entering temple's sanctum sanctorum, he had said.

PTI