The Daily Dazzling Dawn

India |

Madurai Temple Asks Actress Namitha to 'Prove you are a Hindu'

by DD Desk

August 26, 2024

Actress Namitha

key takeaways

Namitha said it was a known fact that she was born a Hindu and that her marriage was solemnised in Tirupati and her son was named after Lord Krishna.

Actress Namitha voiced dismay over the alleged rudeness of temple officials on Monday, claiming that she was requested to provide documentation of her Hindu identity during her visit to the well-known Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwar temple in Madurai.

The actress, a state executive member of the Bharatiya Janta Party, said that a temple official denied her darshan and required identification as a Hindu.

"They asked for a certificate to prove that I am a Hindu and also my caste certificate. I never underwent such an ordeal in any temple that I visited in the country," she told reporters later.

Namitha said it was a known fact that she was born a Hindu and that her marriage was solemnised in Tirupati and her son was named after Lord Krishna. "This being the case they spoke rudely and arrogantly and demanded a certificate to prove my caste and my faith," she said.

A senior official at the temple denied the allegations and said they stopped Namitha and her husband who were wearing masks to enquire if they were Hindus and explained the tradition at the temple.

"After the clarification from them, she was anointed with kumkum on her forehead and taken inside the temple for a darshan of Goddess Meenakshi," he said.

When asked about this, the actress replied that she was allowed for darshan only after clarification of her faith and applying kumkum on her forehead.

She said her visit to Madurai was spiritual and she had come to celebrate Krishna Janmashtami at ISKCON.

"There's a way of asking. I was made to wait for 20 minutes in a corner. We had informed the police about our visit on Sunday," she said.

The actress said she wore a mask as she did not want to disturb devotees who might recognise her.

Earlier in the day, she put out a video message to Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P K Sekar Babu on her predicament and requested him to take action on the "rude" temple official.