Hanuman dressed in Santa's clothes draws ire, temple priest clarifies
What's the story
Lord Hanuman's identity took many turns this year as the deity was dubbed a Dalit, a Jain, and a sportsperson, etc.
And now, many have termed Him 'Santa', after recent images from a temple in Salangpur showed Him dressed in the typical red-and-white Santa Claus uniform, which has also drawn social media ire.
However, the priest insists it's to keep Hanuman 'warm' during winters.
Details
Dress didn't sit well with devotees, they raised objections
Yesterday, when some Hindu devotees went to the Salangpur temple, where Lord Hanuman is worshipped as Kashtbhanjan Dev, they saw the statue donning a red and white dress with a similar colored cap: a dress usually worn by Santa Claus.
This irked them and they expressed their objection to the authorities, while many drew similarities between Lord Hanuman and Santa Claus.
Reactions
Many people asked priests to stop shaming Hindu religion
Among the many angry devotees, one asked the priests of the temple to stop shaming the Hindu religion.
While another said he wouldn't be surprised if the statue was later clothed in a green dress and a skull cap on Eid.
Meanwhile, a regular visitor to the temple said he didn't mind the attire "as it's a tradition to celebrate various festivals with God."
Notes
Head priest informs attire was sent by a US-based devotee
Brushing aside all comments, head priest of the temple, Kothari Viveksagar Swami, termed the controversy baseless.
"Our temple is a center for faith for Lord Hanuman devotees. The said attire is actually a set of woolen clothes sent by our devotee Dharam Patel from the US," he informed, adding the robes might be similar, but "there is no resemblance between them (Santa and Hanuman)."
Reason
'Someone called it Santa look and spread the misunderstanding'
Kothari said that they dressed the idol in woolen clothes as Dhanurmas is on, and cold is also prevailing in the region.
He added, "It's believed that the Lord goes to school in the morning. So He was given red woolen clothes."
"Someone called it Santa look and spread the misunderstanding," he fumed, adding those who have doubts can visit and verify for themselves.
Information
Statue's clothes were later changed in the evening
Interestingly, in the evening, the idol's attire was changed. When asked about it, Kothari dismissed the fact that they changed the clothes after the controversy. He said, "As a regular practice, we change the clothes of the Lord thrice a day."