Madras HC Reiterates Rules for Non-Hindus Visiting Temples
The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has stressed that non-Hindus visiting Hindu temples must comply with the prescribed guidelines and respect the customs and practices of the respective temples.
Madurai: The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has stressed that non-Hindus visiting Hindu temples must comply with the prescribed guidelines and respect the customs and practices of the respective temples.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Thangam Venkatesh of Madurai, seeking regulations to prevent non-Hindus from entering temple mandapams and proceeding beyond the flagstaff.
The petitioner’s plea comes amid allegations by Hindu organisations that fisheries minister Srinath, a non-Hindu, had visited the Tiruchendur Murugan temple recently without submitting a written undertaking affirming his faith in the deity and his willingness to respect Hindu religious beliefs and temple customs.
During the hearing, the judges referred to guidelines the High Court framed in January 2024 in a similar case on visits by non-Hindus to Hindu temples. They reiterated that visitors from other faiths must abide by the prescribed norms.
The judges also referred to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s recent visit to the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai, where he followed the prescribed procedures, and noted the presence of people from other faiths at the Arunachaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai.