Savarnas oppose Dalit entry to Karnataka temple, remove diety

Tensions prevail in Hanakere village of Mandya district in Karnataka, after Savarna Hindus removed the diety from Sri Kalabhairaveshwara Swamy temple in the village, in protest of the government providing temple entry for Dalits.

Dalits were reportedly never



allowed inside the temple, facing discrimination from the village’s Savarna population. A temple reconstruction that took place a couple of years ago brought the temple under the jurisdiction of the Karnataka state government’s Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department.