'Dhoti' likely to be the dress-code for devotees in Kashi Vishwanath

The authorities are mulling over introducing traditional wear "Dhoti" as a dress code for the devotees visiting the world-famous Kashi-Vishwanath temple of Lord Shiva in Varanasi.

Deepak Aggarwal, Commissioner, Varanasi said that the dress-code if implemented, would be applicable for only those devotees who want to have "Sparsh-Darshan" of the shiva-lingam i.e. touching the deity situated in the sanctum sanctorum.

He said that the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple has very limited space and devotees throng in huge numbers.

"At present, the 'Sparsh-Darshan' is allowed for a short time after the 'Mangla-Arti' keeping in view the limited space in sanctum sanctorum and a large number of devotees," he said.

"Yesterday, a meeting was chaired by Tourism and Religious Affairs Minister Neelkanth Tiwari in which other stakeholders were also present. The meeting mulled over introducing traditional 'dhoti' as a dress code for those who want to do 'Sparsh-Darshan'. We will introduce it only after thorough discussions with several stakeholders," he said.

"The people will either bring their own 'dhoti' or the Mandir Nyas will provide them with one," he said.

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