Mumbai’s landmark Siddhivinayak Temple is now implementing new measures to encourage cultural sensitivity and environmental awareness. Now, at the famous Mumbai temple, the followers who come to visit the shrine are now obliged to adhere to a dress code wherein it is obligatory to wear the traditional Indian attire or clothes of full covering. Together with the result, the temple has also made a great effort toward sustainability by forbidding plastic bags during the distribution of prasad.
No more short dresses or jeans at the famous Mumbai temple, only traditional Indian attire with full body covering
Choosing to introduce a dress code is a result of feedback received by the temple trust. “Many devotees expressed concerns about inappropriate clothing being worn inside the temple premises,” said Pawan Tripathi, treasurer of the Siddhivinayak Ganpati Mandir Trust. The trust now calls upon visitors to abandon the temptation of wearing ripped jeans, skirts, or other short revealing clothing and choose attire promoting Indian cultural values.
The initiative takes place as part of similar efforts in temples in India to preserve the sacredness of temple grounds. This is not to forbid, but to maintain the dignity/decorum of the temple, according to its religious sanctity/environment, Tripathi replied.
Siddhivinayak Temple switches to paper bags to distribute Prasad
Concurrently, the Siddhivinayak Temple has started to switch over from plastic bags to paper wraps for the distribution of Prasad as part of a pilot initiative to aid Mumbai’s campaign against the use of single-use plastics. This project has been undertaken in collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Maharashtra Pollution Control Board.
These latest actions illustrate both the temple’s commitment to maintaining cultural heritage and to environmental sustainability. Even though the dress code maintains a respectful environment, the eco-friendly prasad distribution falls in line with wider initiatives to prevent pollution and to be greener in religious institutions.
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