The dress code for devotees visiting the historic Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple in Bhadrachalam has come into effect from Thursday amid growing demand for greater awareness on the norm.
The move is to foster spiritual ambience in the shrine and maintain sanctity of the religious place.
The dress code is dhoti or lungi or kurta pyjama for male devotees and sari or churidar with upper cloth for female devotees to enter the shrine, the temple sources said.
The move was initiated to discourage the use of ‘inappropriate’ apparel like jeans, shorts and skirts by the devotees, the sources added.
A group of officials, including some police personnel, were the first among those who followed the dress code while offering prayers at the temple.
Some devotees who had arrived from far-off places had no knowledge of the dress code and had to buy traditional attire at a local store.
Banners highlighting the dress code were erected in the vicinity of the temple complex.
Introduction of the dress code is a welcome move, said BJP district secretary Avula Subba Rao. It will help promote the temple customs and traditions, besides maintaining the sanctity of the shrine, he noted.
When contacted, Bhadrachalam temple assistant executive officer Sravan Kumar told The Hindu that efforts were on to give extensive publicity to the dress code through the TTD’s Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel and other media organisations.
