TRAVANCORE TEMPLE-ENTRY RULES

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Gandhian Scholar

Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No. – 09415777229, 094055338

E-mail- [e-mail];[e-mail]

 

 

TRAVANCORE TEMPLE-ENTRY RULES

 

 

The following rules and regulations on temple-entry have been issued over the sign manual of H.H. the Maharaja of Travancore:

Whereas we have by Proclamation issued under date November 12 declared, ordained and commanded that, subject to rules and conditions that we may impose, no restriction shall be placed on any Hindu entering and worshipping at temples controlled by us and our Government, we are hereby pleased to enact the following rules:

1. The expression ‘temple’ occurring in these rules shall include not only the temple and sub-shrines but also mandapams and other buildings as well as tanks or wells appurtenant to the temple.

2. The expression ‘Chief Officer of the Devaswom’ occurring in these rules shall mean the officer in charge of the Devaswom. It shall also include every officer superior to him and having jurisdiction when such superior officer exercises the powers of the Chief Officer of the Devaswom.

3. In order that the customs and usages obtaining in the several temples under the control of His Highness the Maharaja and the Government in regard to the Poojas (service), Nivedyams (offerings), Vazhivadus (gifts) the Nithyanidhanam, Masavisesham, Attavisesham (special ceremonies), Utsavam (festival), and other ordinary and special ceremonies and rituals shall continue to be observed as heretofore, it shall be competent to the Chief Officer of the Devaswom to give, consistently with the objects of the Proclamation, such directions as may be necessary from time to time for regulating the time of entry and worship or limiting the number of those who may enter for worship at a time or maintaining such special customs and usages as are applicable to certain individuals and communities for specific purposes.

4. The permission to enter temples shall not be exercised so as to empower entrance into the Srikoil (sanctum sanctorum), Thidapally (kitchen), and other portions of the temple where specific restrictions even now exist in regard to all persons except those who are allowed to use those portions by custom.

5. All worshippers are bound to conform to the directions given by the Chief Officer of the Devaswom in regard to the carrying out of the objects of the Proclamation and these Rules and in regard to places which have to be reserved for the time being for the proper conduct of the rituals in the temple or observances such as the feeding of persons as heretofore conducted.

6. The classes of persons mentioned hereunder shall not enter within the

compound walls of a temple, or its premises in case there is no compound wall:

 (a) Persons who are not Hindus; (b) persons under pollution arising out of birth or death in their families; (c) women at such time during which they are not by custom and usage allowed to enter temples; (d) drunken or disorderly persons; (e) persons suffering from any loathsome or contagious disease; (f) persons of unsound mind except when taken for worship under proper control and with the sanction of the Chief Officer of the Devaswom concerned; and (g) professional beggars.

7. No person shall enter into any temple premises unless he wears clean clothes of such materials and in such manner as may be customary. The directions of the Chief Officer of the Devaswom concerned shall prevail until set aside by a higher authority. None shall be allowed to enter temple premises with any footwear, except those who are allowed to do so by custom and usage obtaining in the temple.

8. No person shall, within the temple and premises, spit, chew betel, tobacco or any similar article or smoke or carry with him any article for smoking, or take with him fish, eggs, meat, flesh, toddy, arrack or other intoxicants or any other article or animal inappropriate according to custom and usage to be introduced into the temple.

9. No person shall enter the Belikkalpura (the hall in which the main altar stone is installed), Valiambalam, (central shrine), Nalambalam, (the halls on four sides) or the Elamathil which in some temples takes the place of a Nalambalam, with any coat, shirt, vest or such other garment, except women who may wear their usual dress. No head-dress shall be worn except by those who are allowed to do so by custom and usage obtaining in the temple. No one shall take therein any cloth umbrella, kerosene-light or other article inappropriate to be introduced into such places by custom or usage. In temples where the above restrictions obtain even in regard to entering within the compound walls, the same shall be observed.

10. (1) No one shall enter the portions of a temple specified in the last preceding rule without having, in accordance with custom and usage, bathed, and without the customary caste-mark and without wearing clean clothes of such material and in such manner as may be customary in the temple concerned.

(2) No one except a Hindu shall enter a tank appurtenant to a temple, and every person permitted to enter a tank shall obey such directions as may be given by the Chief Officer of the Devaswom concerned. The direction of the Chief Officer of the Devaswom shall prevail until set aside by a higher authority.

(3) Tanks reserved for the exclusive use of particular functionaries of the

temple shall continue to be so reserved.

11. Restrictions as to entry and worship, which according to usage and custom apply to all communities alike, shall continue to apply.

12. No one shall interrupt the worship in a temple by loud conversation or other demonstration which would derogate from the solemnity and the proper atmosphere of the temple.

13. It shall not be lawful to any person to use the temple buildings and premises for purposes not connected with or arising from worship, usages and observances of such temples.

14. No one shall do any act which would tend to derogate from the purity and cleanliness of the temple and its premises.

15. If any doubt arises in regard to the applicability of, or conformity to, any of these provisions, the decision of the Chief Officer of the Devaswom concerned shall prevail until set aside by a higher authority.

16. It shall be lawful for the Chief Officer of the Dewaswom concerned to direct that any person who contravenes or is suspected or believed by the Chief Officer of the Devaswom to have contravened any of the provisions of these rules, or disobeys any lawful direction given to him, shall remove himself from the temple and, in case such person does not so remove himself, to cause him to be removed from the temple. In case he resists such removal, or in case when asked to give his name and address he refuses to do so or gives information which is not believed to be true, he shall be liable to be arrested and removed by any Police Officer not below the rank of a Head Constable, and to be dealt with as if he had been arrested under Section 38 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

17. If any person contravenes any of the provisions of these rules, or disobeys any direction lawfully given in pursuance thereof, and thereby renders necessary any purificatory ceremonies, according to the customs and usages of the temple, such person shall be liable to pay the cost of the necessary purificatory ceremonies at the approved rates, and the same shall be recoverable from him as arrears of public or land revenue or otherwise. A person thus contravening or disobeying shall, besides being subject to any penalty to which he may be liable under any other law, be also punishable on conviction by a Magistrate with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months or with fine or with both.

18. No prosecution under these rules shall lie except on a complaint by a Gazetted Officer having jurisdiction in respect of the temple.

19. No action shall lie against any Devaswom Officer or other public servant who bona fide does any act in pursuance of these rules, and no action in a Criminal Court shall lie without sanction of Government.

20. In case of any doubt or dispute regarding the interpretation or the carrying out of any provisions of these rules, the decision of the Dewan thereon shall be final.

21. In cases of emergencies and unforeseen difficulties that may arise in carrying out the provisions and objects of the Proclamation or of these rules, the Dewan shall be competent to pass such orders as he may deem fit.