Padmanabha Swamy temple ease off dress code for women

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's Padmanabha Swamy temple decided to relax the present rigid dress code for women. From now devotees with traditional Indian Churidar and Salwar Kameez will be permitted to worship the god. The centuries old richest temple has a set of customs. Earlier, women devotees who visit the temple had to wear a 'mundu'/dhoti over their waist if they come with Churidar or Salwars. Temple EO(Executive officer) K N Sateesh said " We had received numerous mails and mass petitions from devotees, particularly from women, seeking a specific direction to temple authorities to permit wearing of churidars and salwar kameez inside the shrine." Recently Keala HC had disposed of a petition seeking relaxation in dress code to allow women to wear churidars and salwars inside the Padmanabha Swamy temple after directing the EO to take decision within 30 days on this matter.