Madras High Court Forbids Non-Hindus Entering Temple Beyond Flagpole

The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department to place boards indicating that non-Hindus will not be permitted beyond the the “kodimaram” (flagpole) area of the Palani temple and its sub-temples. The Court said that the temple premise cannot be used “as picnic spot or tourist spot”.

A bench led by Justice S Srimathy was hearing a plea from D Senthilkumar, an organiser of Palani hill temple devotees organisation who had submitted a petition in the Court.

Though the current order is limited to the Palani temples, the court asked the the state government to install boards at all temples mentioning, “non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple after Kodimaram” at the entrance of the temples, near the flagpole and at prominent places in the shrine.

Justice observed that if any non-Hindu 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 would follow the customs and practices of the Hindu religion and also abide by the temple customs and on such undertaking, the said non-Hindu may be allowed to visit the temple,” Livemint quotes as  the court is saying.

Following, the court said that whenever as non-Hindu may be allowed to visit the temple, the same shall be entered in the register maintained by the temple authorities. “The respondents shall maintain the temple premises by strictly following the agamas, customs and practices of the temple,” Livemint quotes as  the court is saying..