Q: Upper body clothing outside temple

[Jakub Cejka]

While reading here about the fact that in southern temples removing upper 
clothing is a required gesture of respect, I would like to ask (Indians) 
how has the sense that it is otherwise a gesture of disrespect developed ?

Whenever in India I removed or only unbuttoned my shirt being unable to 
bear the heat I was always either laughed at or politely or impolitely 
forced to cover my body not by muslims but hindus. When dressed in shorts 
I entered the Sanskrit department in a West Bengal university, I was told 
that it is not good to come "in dhoti". This particularly puzzled me, 
that once shorts are seen as dhoti they are not accepted. 

I appologize a lot for such non-Indological question, but I was always 
wondering about this: that what is necessary in some temples is 
considered uncultured in public.  Any personal feelings welcome on this 
on my email address.

Thanks J.Cejka

______________________________________________________________________________
Mr. Jakub Cejka
Dept. of Sanskrit, University of Pune
Ganeshkhind, Pune, India  411 007

e-mail:  jakub at unipune.ernet.in   (till July 97 the latest)