Hindu temple's sanctity desecrated; women film dance reels inside Tamil Nadu shrine
Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India 
5 February, 2026
Case Summary
In Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, a sacred Hindu temple's sanctity was desecrated as three unidentified women filmed dance reels on Tamil movie songs inside its premises. Videos circulated on social media showing women performing dance reels and recording short videos inside the sacred Brihadeeswarar Temple (Thanjavur Big Temple) premises. The footage captured the women using the temple complex as a backdrop for their performance and filming without apparent supervision. According to media reports, in the visuals that circulated on social media, the women performed to Tamil movie songs such as “Banaras Pattu Katti, Singapore Seematti” and other film tracks before uploading the clips as reels online. After the videos went viral on social media, the incident drew criticism from netizens, who questioned how such recordings and dance performances were permitted within the sacred temple complex despite the presence of police personnel and private security deployed for the protection of the heritage site. At the time of writing this report, authorities had not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident or whether any action would be taken.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in this case is- Attack on Hindu religious representations. The sub-category selected is- Breaking rules of place of worship. Sanatan Dharma is not a religion of one book, which is to say that while it has religious scriptures that form the central tenets of the faith, there are several traditions followed through thousands of years, mostly passed from generation to generation orally. One of these oral traditions or written traditions is the rules of specific temples. Certain temples have rules which are traditional rules, dependent on the worship of the presiding deities. These rules and traditions have been followed for thousands of years whether they find scriptural mention or not. Such traditions are based on the nature and rules of worship of the presiding deity of that temple. Any non-compliance of these traditions owing to animosity towards the faith or for the sake of activism stems not only from the lack of faith in the presiding deity but also disregard for the faith of the devotees of that deity/temple and implicit bias against the faith, the tradition and the deity itself. Since these specific traditions are central to the faith of the devotees of that specific temple and presiding deity, any non-compliance with these traditional rules would be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. The other sub-category selected is- Defiling religious customs. Sanatan Dharma is not a religion of one book, which is to say that while it has religious scriptures that form the central tenets of the faith, there are several traditions followed through thousands of years, mostly passed from generation to generation orally. There are several such customs and traditions that are followed by various Hindus and Hindu sects. Defiling of these traditions and customs is a breach of an individual or group’s religious practices. Such practices can range from dietary restrictions like not eating non-vegetarian food for a certain period of the year, not eating non-vegetarian food at all, not eating beef since the cow is considered holy in Hinduism, the sanctity of religious customs followed in the house (like many ISCKON devotees), etc. Any malicious action leading to the breach of such traditions or defilement of these traditions owing to animosity towards the faith or for the sake of activism stems not only from the lack of faith in the religion itself but also from disregard for the faith of the devotees who follow the customs/traditions and implicit bias against the faith, the tradition itself. Since these specific traditions are central to the faith of the devotees of that specific sect of Hindus, any non-compliance with these traditional rules would be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. In this case, the actions of the women filming dance reels inside the sacred Brihadeeswarar Temple premises constituted more than mere public nuisance or irresponsible behaviour. They reflected a deliberate act of religious desecration and must be recognised as a hate crime. To understand the gravity of this violation, one must recognise that for Hindus, a temple is not merely a building or a social hall. It is the Devalaya, the literal abode of the Divine. Every inch of a consecrated temple, especially one with centuries of history and devotion, is considered infused with spiritual energy and governed by strict codes of purity. Hindus revere these spaces as the physical manifestation of the deity on Earth, approaching them with immense devotion, ritual cleanliness, and a profound sense of awe. The temple is the soul of the community, a sanctuary for meditation and prayer where the mundane world is left behind to seek the transcendental. The incident involved performances of Tamil movie songs like “Banaras Pattu Katti, Singapore Seematti” and filming within a sanctified space that holds immense spiritual and religious significance for millions of Hindus. Brihadeeswarar Temple is not just a tourist site. It is a historic Hindu place of worship and UNESCO World Heritage landmark, and any attempt to desecrate or dishonour its sanctity is an affront to the faith itself. Filming dance reels and engaging in disruptive performances inside the Brihadeeswarar Temple premises was not merely an act of public nuisance. It constituted a direct affront to the sanctity of a revered heritage site. Such acts not only disturbed the spiritual atmosphere but also fostered a climate of hostility towards Hindu sacred spaces and the broader cultural ethos of Sanatan Dharma. By normalising the breach of temple rules despite police and security presence, this behaviour reinforced a narrative that these sacred customs are optional or dismissible, thereby fostering an environment of hostility and cultural insensitivity toward Hindu religious institutions and practices. Such deliberate violations cannot be viewed in isolation. They must be recognised as part of a broader pattern of disrespect and bias against Hindu places of worship. Hence, this case is included in the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when the crime occurred, not when the media reports it. In this case, media reports did not specify the exact date when the reels were shot. We have therefore selected 6 February 2026, the date of media reporting, as the indicative incident date. This is recorded for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
female
Sources 
