TN priest sacked for dressing goddess’ idol in Salwar Kameez

In a rather bizarre event, the temple priest from Mayiladuthurai’s Mayuranathaswami temple in Tamil Nadu has been sacked for dressing up the deity’s idol in a Salwar Kameez. The photo of the idol, which soon went viral on Whatsapp, apparently hurt the sentiments of the devotees who felt that the sanctity of the 1000-year-old goddess was tarnished.

Reportedly, Raj, the priest in question, joined the temple six months ago to help his father. It has been learned that following the incident, the temple authorities were swift to remove Raj and his father from the service.

Traditionally, the deity is adorned with sandalwood paste on Fridays. However, Raj decided to go against the traditional attire and dress up the goddess in a Salwar Kameez. “The priest made a different pattern with the glitter paper used generally to dress her in a saree,” temple manager Ganesan was quoted as saying.

In the past, there have been multiple instances reported where the priests had decorated their respective temple’s deities in a unique manner.