Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai introduces new dress code for devotees, bans short clothes and torn jeans

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One of Mumbai's most prominent and revered places of worship, the Siddhivinayak Temple, has now introduced a new dress code for devotees. According to the new dress code, entry into temple wearing short clothes and torn jeans is banned. The temple authorities have encouraged devotees to wear traditional Indian attire.

Devotees will be stopped from entering the temple if they do not wear fully covered clothes.

The temple trust said that the decision has been taken as per request from devotees.

According to a statement published by the Siddhivinayak Ganpati Mandir Trust, devotees visiting the temple for darshan should be in traditional Indian attire or full-covered clothing to uphold the decorum and sanctity of the shrine. Those wearing "inappropriate" or "revealing" clothes will not be granted entry, the statement said, adding "Refrain from wearing immodest or indecent clothing such as torn jeans, skirts, or attire that is revealing or unsuitable for the temple environment. We encourage all devotees to dress in a manner that reflects the values of Indian culture."

Pawan Tripathi, the treasurer of the temple trust, told mid-day.com that the decision was taken following a request from devotees. "We have received complaints over the clothes of some devotees from the other devotees. They want some restrictions on the clothing. Devotees need to follow the decision taken by the temple trust," Tripathi said, adding, "In recent times, many temples across India started a dress code for the devotees, leading to a discussion."

Meanwhile, the temple trust also decided to stop the usage of plastic bags for distributing prasad to devotees.

On a pilot basis, the temple has started using paper packets to pack prasad. The step is in line with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) action against one-time plastic use and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board's initiative against the ban on plastic products.