New Delhi, India - Foreign tourists visiting the holy Indian city of Pushkar in the state of Rajasthan have been issued with a strict code of conduct after a Finnish woman caused public outrage when she walked naked into a sacred lake.
The behavioural guidelines were issued by local magistrates following complaints from locals upset by foreigners who failed to respect local custom and tradition.
The city of Pushkar, which attracts many foreigners for its annual camel fair, is also a sacred Hindu place of worship where Lord Brahma, the God of creation, is said to have created a lake by dropping a lotus flower.
The incident of the Finnish woman - who, according to local reports, also walked naked to her hotel - comes after allegations that a group of Israelis held an orgy by dancing naked around a camp fire.
More recently an Israeli couple were found to have indulged in a passionate embrace at their Hindu wedding ceremony - a crime for which they were later fined.
A priest at Puskhar said that such behaviour was a form of "cultural pollution" and had led to local people petitioning Rajasthan state's chief minister to put a ban on all Israelis entering the town.
The minister rejected the calls, but sanctioned the 20-page booklet of "do's and don'ts", which has been published in English, French and German, in order to "educate foreign tourists about local culture and sensibilities".
It sets out some well-known courtesies of Asian life - such as not shaking hands or touching women, keeping arms and shoulders covered in sacred places and not eating with your left hand.
It also advises that public displays of affection - including holding hands - are not acceptable, even between man and wife.
India has had a sometimes uneasy relationship with foreigners, particularly in rural areas.
The guidelines represent a conservative view of public etiquette which, particularly with reference to cigarettes and alcohol, is gradually relaxing among India's increasingly westernised middle class.
As a result, they have not met with universal approval, with at least one official describing them as sounding "intolerant" and failing to strike a balance between asking tourists to respect local sensibilities and making them feel unwelcome.