In December 2024, a few Kodava devotees dressed in traditional attire were allegedly stopped from entering Kattemadu Maha Mrityunjaya Temple in Karnataka’s Kodagu district.

The bench observed that a communication made to the Madikeri taluk tahsildar by the revenue officer stated that during temple celebrations between December 23 and 27 last year, some people in traditional Kodava attire were prevented from entering the temple. (File photo)

In an interim order, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed the authorities at the Kattemadu Maha Mrityunjaya Temple in Kodagu district to permit entry to “any person wearing traditional clothes which are decent enough”. The court was hearing a petition over how certain new dress rules had resulted in members of the Kodava community being prevented from entering the temple in their traditional attire.

“The concerned office bearers of the second respondent temple/society are hereby directed not to prevent any person wearing traditional clothes which are decent enough,” a single-judge bench of Justice R Devdas said on Wednesday. The matter will now be heard on February 27.

In December 2024, a few Kodava devotees dressed in their traditional attire were allegedly stopped from entering the temple. This incident prompted two men, from Virajpet and Madikeri, respectively, to file a petition before the high court.

The counsel for the petitioners argued that the society registered in 2024 to manage the temple was disturbing local peace and tranquillity with the new bylaws it instituted. The counsel argued that while a direction against scanty clothing, along with a direction to wear customary Indian clothing, was understandable, people wearing traditional Kodava attire were also being prevented from entering the temple under the current bylaws.

The petitioners prayed for quashing the specific bylaw as being violative of fundamental rights, sought a stay on the registration of the temple society, and a stay on the bylaw preventing Kodavas from carrying out worship in their traditional clothing.

The bench observed that a communication made to the Madikeri taluk tahsildar by the revenue officer stated that during temple celebrations between December 23 and 27 last year, some people in traditional Kodava attire were prevented from entering the temple.

Passing an interim order in the matter, the court stated, “Having regard to the objectives of the Society at paragraph No.4 and more particularly, Clause (7), it does not state that no person wearing traditional attire can enter the temple premises. Nevertheless, if the office bearers of the society are preventing any person who is wearing traditional attire and decent enough from entering the temple premises, such action will be arbitrary and opposed to public policy.”

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> English> edition> India / February 14th, 2025