Priests hold protest against plan for Kedarnath temple in Delhi
Kedarnath is among the four Hindu sacred shines of the Char Dham that also includes Badrinath, Gangotri and Yumonotri.
Priests at the Kedarnath temple in Rudraprayag district on Sunday staged a protest in front of the shrine against the laying of a foundation stone of another Kedarnath temple in New Delhi on July 10 by Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami .
Dhami on Wednesday took part in a bhoomi pujan (consecrating holy ground) at a ceremony held in the Hiranki neighbourhood near Burari in northwest Delhi and laid the foundation stone for a new Kedarnath temple to be built at the location.
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The priests of the Uttarakhand shrine gathered under the banner of Kedar Sabha, along with various other associations, in front of temple premises in Rudraprayag district and raised slogans against the state government and Dhami, alleging that the government was encouraging the construction of a temple in name of Kedarnath and conspiring against the Char Dham Yatra in the Garhwal Himalayas by undermining the sanctity of the ancient shrines.
Kedarnath is among the four Hindu sacred shines of the Char Dham that also includes Badrinath, Gangotri and Yumonotri, which attracts millions of Hindu pilgrims between the months of May and October.
“We are not against a temple being constructed, but are opposing the construction of Kedarnath temple by a religious trust in Delhi, which as claimed will have the same form,” said Pankaj Shukla, spokesperson of the Kedar Sabha. “A stone from the Kedarnath shrine area will also be shifted, thus reducing the religious sanctity of the Kedarnath shrine in Rudraprayag district.”
“The Kedarnath Dham Trust Delhi has also announced that it will be distributing the charana amrit (sanctified water) of Kedarnath dham to devotees once the temple with the same name is built in Delhi,” Shukla alleged. “It is against all the religious guidelines of santana dharma.”
“The proposed construction of Kedarnath temple using the same name and form in Burari in Delhi by a trust is nothing but a conspiracy to reduce the religious sanctity of the shrine in Uttarakhand and earn money from the devotees,” accused Pradeep Shukla, another member of the Kedar Sabha. “If this trend continues, soon the temple of Baba Amarnath (in Kashmir) will also crop up in Delhi in the name of disaster and security, which will be the most unfortunate day for sanatana dharma.”
Rajkumar Tiwari, president of the Kedar Sabha, was not present during the protest, but extended his support to the protesting members. He alleged a conspiracy to divert the pilgrims. “This year, the limitation on online registration was introduced on Char Dham yatra, and during the rush, the yatra was proposed to be diverted from Ramnagar in the Kumaon region to promote Manas Khand yatra, which is indicative of the fact that a section of government is conspiring in undermining the Char Dham yatra and the shrines that are revered by many across the globe,” Tiwari said.
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“We have received some assurance that the religious sanctity of Kedarnath in Uttarakhand will be maintained, but we will continue to protest till the time we are satisfied by the government in letter and spirit,”he added.
HT reached out to state government officials for a comment but did not get one immediately.
The proposed construction of a new Kedarnath temple in Delhi has evoked a mixed response.
“It is difficult to have darshan (viewing) of Lord Kedarnath during the monsoon in Uttarakhand and it poses a risk to our lives,” said Anirudh Tripathi, a pilgrim from Delhi who has returned from Char Dham yatra to Rishikesh. “If such a temple is made in Delhi, many elderly and devotees with fragile health will be able to seek blessings from Lord Shiva without any hindrance.”
Anuj Thapliyal, a resident of Rudraprayag, differed. “The shivling at Kedarnath is believed to be swayambhu (self installed) by the lord himself, so there can be no replica anywhere in the name of Kedarnath,” Thapliyal said. “It is important to take decisions of construction of temples that are connected with the holy shrines of the Hindus with utmost care and without any self-interest.”
The Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has received information of the proposed construction of temple in Delhi through social media, committee CEO Yogendra Singh said. “The BKTC will respond only after looking into the matter,” he added.
Surinder Rautela, who heads the Shri Kedarnath Dham Delhi Trust in Burari, clarified that only a temple is being developed and “not a dham (shirne).” There are many temples in India based on famous temples and there should not be any controversy about it, Rautela said.
“A Kedarnath temple is going to be built in Delhi, not a dham. Our Shri Kedarnath Dham Delhi Trustis building this temple. The Uttarakhand government has nothing to do with the project. The Uttarakhand chief minister came here for the bhumi pujan at our request. The project as well as the trust has nothing to do with the government. The trust is working with the cooperation of the trust members, most of whom are from Uttarakhand,” he added.
Rautela said that that there are many temples in India based on famous temples. “A Kedarnath temple is already present in Indore for so many years. Similarly, a temple of Badrinath also exists in Mumbai. It was inaugurated by former (Uttarakhand ) chief minister Harish Rawat,” Rautela claimed. “There are temples all across country based on Sai temple, Khatu Shyam temple, etc.”
“We are just making a temple with all our heart and religious belief. There should not be any controversy about it,” he said. “Some leaders are creating a controversy for political benefit.”
