3rd February 2025 (12 Topics)
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Sree Gowreeswara Temple
Context
Sree Gowreeswara Temple, Cherai, has recently decided to end a nearly century-old practice that required men to remove their upper garments to worship at the temple.
About the Tradition
- The tradition at Sree Gowreeswara Temple, Cherai, required men to remove their upper garments, such as shirts, before entering the temple to worship.
- The practice is not scriptural but rather a social construct rooted in the caste system.
- It was deeply tied to the marginalization of lower-caste communities.
- Between the 10th and 19th centuries, Kerala’s scriptures have explicitly detailed barring entry to people from marginalised communities such as the Ezhavas and Adivasis.
- This practice (removing the upper garment) was started to ensure that the punool(sacred thread worn by Brahmins) could be seen. That custom still continues in temples.
- Not all temples in the state ask men to remove their shirts before entering the sanctum sanctorum.
- However, the practice is strictly enforced in some major temples such as the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, the Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple in Thrissur, and the Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple in Kottayam.
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Shree Gowreeswara Temple
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