Dress code mandatory for Kanaka Durga temple staff

Vijayawada: The second biggest temple in the State is set for a new look, with the staff of different categories, appearing in different uniforms while on duty. The temple authorities have issued orders on Monday insisting on the staff to follow the dress code and ensure that the temple premises provides devotional atmosphere.

Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri, would now give a new look to the devotees with the priests, administrative staff and even the staff in the tonsure hall, will now have to strictly follow the dress code.

In-charge executive officer SS Chandrasekhar Azad issued guidelines to this effect for the staff and priests. The new dress code, which is compulsory even for contract staff, would have the priests appearing in white dhoti and a towel on the upper part of the body with a Vibhuthi or Tilakam on forehead.

The women employees should wear plain clothes, whereas male devotees in engineering department can wear either white or sandal (cream) colour clothes.

The Vedic scholars should also follow rules like wearing a dhoti, vermillion and should also have a ‘Shikha’ and ‘Yagyopaveetam’. Priests and employees should follow ‘Agama’ Shastra and they are not supposed to enter the temple premises consuming any kind of tobacco products or smoking cigarettes.

Speaking to The Hans India, Temple Assistant Executive Officer S Achyutaramaiah said that focus will be laid on introducing the dress code for the devotees at Durga temple on the lines of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) to promote spiritual ambiance on the temple premises. He said that temple authorities have introduced dress code for the employees in 2009. However, some of the employees failed to follow it.

Though the previous EO Ch Narasing Rao also issued strict orders for implementation of dress code for the employees, the temple staff conveniently ignored them. They have been attending to their duties in different outfits.

The temple authorities had received several suggestions from devotees in the past about following a specific dress code at the hill shrine. There were complaints that several employees were wearing modern outfits on the temple premises.

“Once the employee enters the temple premises, he has to be spiritually attracted to the God and should not get diverted by indecent attractions. That is why Executive Officer Chandrasekhar Azad has decided to enforce the dress code for the employees,” he said.

Achyuthramaiah also said that four smartha brahmins following dress code were deployed to distribute ‘Bhasma Prasadam’ to the devotees at the temple of Lord Malleswara Swamy on the lines of Kukuma Prasadam at Goddess Durga temple from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The officials have also issued instructions to the security staff to greet the temple officials with folded hands saying ‘Jai Bhavani’.

Meanwhile, plans are also afoot by the temple administration to develop ‘Mada Veedhulu’ on the temple premises to carry the procession of Goddess Kankadurga. Soon the shopping complex on the hill would be demolished to lay a passage. Works would commence from April and likely to be completed before Krishna Pushkarams, he said.