Upset Hindus are urging Ventnor City (New Jersey) headquartered online retailer Zayze Activewear for immediate withdrawal of various leggings carrying images of Hindu deities Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha; calling it highly inappropriate.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha were highly revered in Hinduism and were meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to adorn your legs, crotch and hips. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, also urged Zayze Activewear and its CEO to offer a formal apology.

Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled, Rajan Zed noted.

Zed further said that such trivialization of Hindu deities was disturbing to the Hindus world over. Hindus were for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else if not more. But faith was something sacred and attempts at trivializing it hurt the followers, Zed added.

Products of Zayze, which claims to be “high end line of activewear”, include capris, jackets, leggings, shorts, sports bras, tops, tanks, mens tights, onesies, outfits and bike shorts. With tagline “Where Fit, Fashion, and Function Come Together”, Zayze states: “You can be sexy and active at the same time.” Its description of “Shiva Geometry Compression Legging” ($ 89) says: “Shiva, the auspicious one, adorns the leg”.

In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking. Lord Shiva, along with Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu, forms the great triad of Hindu deities. There are about three million Hindus in USA.