The management of historical 12th-century Mahathobhara Mahalingeshwara temple in Puttur taluk of Karnataka's communally-sensitive Dakshina Kannada district has banned vehicle parking by non-Hindus, stirring up a controversy. Those not belonging to the Hindu religion are not allowed to park their vehicles in the Devamaru Gadde area which lies in front of the temple, as per a signboard set up by the management. It warns that legal action will be taken against those who violate the guidelines.

Mahalingeshwara temple comes under the state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. As the step by the temple authorities was termed a sign of intolerance, temple management President Maliya Keshava Prasad sought to clarify that if people from other religions parked their vehicles in the land belonging to the temple, "it caused trouble for Hindu devotees who visited the temple".