‘Alappuzha temples are generally not that narrow-minded’

A devout Hindu, I am of the opinion that temples should be thrown open to all irrespective of caste and creed, PROVIDED they are not treated as places for sightseeing. We have a certain dress code for entering temples, and all devotees should be freshly bathed, wearing clean clothes, barefoot. People who are in ritual mourning after the death of a close family member, menstruating women etc do not enter temples. I am sure we all agree that purity is a relative concept, and different communities might have different yardsticks for the same, however the very reason that entry is restricted to Hindus is that such information may not be available to other communities, or if they do, it is not practised. In my own family there are people who eat beef; this does not in any way make them any less religious than other Hindus who are pure vegatarian !

There are other religions also where their places of worship are not open for entry to all and sundry, and though we might question such decisions and customs, we do not call them narrow minded, because that makes us bigoted.

Regards, Ashvin.

really cool pictures and if it is any thing in real than would like to surely visit Kerala in future…