“Not A Picnic Spot”: Madras Court Says Non-Hindus Not Allowed To Enter Temple Area In Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department was ordered by the Madras High Court on Tuesday to erect signs informing non-Hindus that they are not allowed to enter beyond the “Kodimaram” (flagpole) area of all Hindu temples. S Srimathy, of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, noted instances in which non-Hindus went into temples for non-religious reasons and stated, “A temple is not a picnic or tourist spot.”

The ruling highlighted the Hindu community’s inalienable right to unhindered religious exercise.

The decision came in response to an appeal submitted by D Senthilkumar, who asked access to be granted to the Arulmigu Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple and its subsidiary temples in Palani, Dindigul district, solely for Hindus.

The court ordered that signs stating that non-Hindus are not allowed past the “Kodimaram” to be placed at temple gates, next to the flagpole, and in other conspicuous locations. It further stipulated that a non-Hindu must present an assurance confirming their belief in Hinduism and their commitment to following temple traditions in order to visit a particular deity.

What did the Madras High Court Say?

In the ruling the court said, “The respondents are directed not to allow non-Hindus who do not believe in the Hindu religion. If any Non-Hindu claims to visit a particular deity in the temple, then the respondents shall obtain an undertaking from the said non-Hindu that he has faith in the deity, and he will follow the customs and practices of Hindu religion and also abide by the temple customs and on such undertaking the said non-Hindu may be allowed to visit the temple.”

The court added, “But the issue raised is a larger issue and the same ought to be applicable to all Hindu temples, hence the plea of the respondents is rejected. As stated supra these restrictions would ensure communal harmony among different religions and ensure peace in society. Therefore, the state government, the HR&CE department, the respondents and all persons who are involved in temple administration are directed to follow the directions to all Hindu temples.”

“It was also reported that in Arulmigu Brihadeeswarar Temple a group of persons belonging to other religions had treated the temple premises as a picnic spot and had non-vegetarian food inside the temple premises. Likewise, recently, on 11.01.2024, a newspaper had reported that a group of people belonging to the other religion had entered the Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Madurai with their sacred book and attempted to do prayers.

The judge added, “These incidents are absolutely interfering with the fundamental rights guaranteed to the Hindus under the Constitution.”

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