Source: US Hindu Student Council Press Release

On November 25, 2005 a US Hindu Student Council Press Release reported, "The Hindu Students Council is deeply saddened by the denial of entry to a devout American Hindu into the sacred Lingaraj temple in Orissa, India. Several newspapers have reported that the temple custodians have been accused of denying entry to Pamela K. Fleig, who is married to an Indian Hindu, even though she has embraced Hinduism. The custodians allege that no 'foreigner' or 'Christian' is allowed entry into the temple. This is a myopic view of the issue. Some ancient temples in India may restrict entry into their sanctum sanctorum ("Garba Griha") to non-Hindus because of possible desecration of the consecrated images ("Murthis")... This reasoning however does not justify the denial of entry to a practicing Hindu just because she is of a different race... As Swami Vivekananda stated, self-declaration remains the basic way to enter the Hindu faith."