Nude Jain priests provided police escort

Five Jain priests, whose nude trek through the parts of Tamil Nadu, sparked off protests by political activists and followers of late Periyar, were safely escorted to the borders of Karnataka by the police.

More than a hundred policemen held a long curtain on either side of the Jain priests’ path from Mettur in Tamil Nadu to Palar in Karnataka after their nude walk incurred the wrath of political activists.

The Jain priests, who were accompanied by three women priests, had visited to Tirumali in Tamil Nadu after participating in the Mahamastakabhisheka at Shravanabelaloga in Karnataka a couple of months ago. They were trekking towards Kanakagiri Kshetra, a centuries-old Jain centre in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district, when protests against their nudity began gathering steam in Tamil Nadu.

As part of their religious belief, Jain priests do not wear either clothes or travel in vehicles. They walk nude to their destinations.

But, their practice of nudity came under fire from people, who gathered in large numbers in parts of Tamil Nadu, raising concerns about their security.

The Jain Samajs in Karnataka have also expressed concern over the safety of the priests during their trek towards Kanakagiri Kshetra. They have appealed to the Government to provide adequate police security to the Jain priests during their stay at a location near Palar bridge and while they pass through Hanur, Kollegal and Santhemarahalli in Karnataka.