Foreign women will be made to wear sarees at Varanasi`s Kashi Vishwanath temple - Read why

Varanasi: 'Scantily-dressed' foreign women visiting Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi will have to wear 'saree' before entering the 'mandir'.

While announcing the decision, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple trust cited short attires of foreign female visitors as the reason why they had passed the order.

The temple trust has decided to provide saree to every foreign female worshipper who visits the temple in a short western attires.

The saree would be provided free of cost.

The administration has also made it clear that the women who visit the temple in jeans or salwar kameez need not opt for a saree.

The decision was taken after Divisional Commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn visited the temple last week.

In order to avoid any controversy, the temple officials have clarified that the order does not mean that a dress code has been enforced.

According to a Times of India report, the temple officials said: “It's a move to motivate the foreign women, who reach temple in short western attires, either to avoid such dresses while planning to offer darshan at this temple or offer prayer as per the decorum."

Around 60,000 devotees visit the famous temple every day with around five percent of them being foreigners.