Kerala: Bharatanatyam dancer barred from performing in temple because she's a 'Muslim'

Thiruvananthapuram: Popular Bharatnatyam artiste V P Mansiya has alleged that she has been barred from performing in a scheduled dance programme in April at the Koodalmanikyam temple in Kerala’s Thrissur district because she is a non-Hindu.

In her Facebook post, Mansiya said her dance programme was slated to be held at the Koodalmanikyam Temple in Thrissur district on April 21. Mansiya, a PhD research scholar in Bharatanatyam, had earlier faced the ire and boycott of Islamic clerics for being a performing artiste of classical dance forms despite being born and brought up as a Muslim.

“One of the temple office-bearers informed me that I cannot perform at the temple as I am a non-Hindu. All stages are allotted based on religion, not considering whether you are a good dancer or not. In the meantime, I have also been facing queries about whether I got converted into a Hindu after marriage. (She had married musician Shyam Kalyan). I have no religion and where should I go,” Mansiya VP said in the Facebook post, according to a report by Indian Express.

Meanwhile, Koodalmanikyam Devaswom board chairman Pradeep Menon said that as per the tradition of the temple, only Hindus can perform within the compound of the temple.

This is the second such instance being reported from Kerala. Earlier, in a similar pattern, temple administration in North Malabar banned a Poorakkali artist from performing in temples allegedly over his son marrying a Muslim woman.

The authorities in both cases maintain that they cannot break the temple rituals.