Non-Hindus will not be allowed to enter Badrinath shrine, Kedarnath shrine and Gangotri Dham in Uttarakhand.
According to news agency ANI, the decision to ban non-Hindus from Gangotri Dham was unanimously taken at the Shri Gangotri Temple Committee meeting held on Sunday.
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This restriction will apply not only to Gangotri Dham but also to Mukhba, the winter abode of Maa Ganga, the release added.
She quoted Shri Gangotri Temple Committee Chairman Suresh Semwal as saying that as per the decision, entry of non-Hindus into the Dham will be strictly prohibited. He said the ban would remain in force in Mukhba as well.
No entry for non-Hindus in Badrinath-Kedarnath
Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Chairman Hemant Dwivedi also said that a proposal to ban entry of non-Hindus in Dhams and all temples under the Temple Committee will be tabled in the upcoming board meeting.
According to the Hindustan Times, the BKTC announced on Sunday that non-Hindus will be barred from entering 45 temples under its jurisdiction.
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Dwivedi reportedly said that “preserving the religious and cultural traditions of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand was of utmost importance”.
Meanwhile, officials told HT that the entry of non-Hindus into these temples has traditionally been restricted.
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However, Dwivedi argued that these “long-standing traditions were broken during the tenure of non-BJP governments”.
“To ensure the sanctity of these shrines and proper observance of ancient traditions, the temple committee will now take concrete steps,” he said.
Non-Hindus banned in Har ki Pauri
Signs reading “Non-Hindu Prohibited Area” were put up at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar on Friday, news agency PTI reported.
Ganga Sabha, the organization that manages and maintains Har Ki Pauri and the surrounding ghats, has reportedly placed these signs at all entry points to the area, including railings and bridge pillars.
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However, the main bathing ghat of Har Ki Pauri and the surrounding area have already been restricted for non-Hindus under the Haridwar Municipal Act, 1916, Ganga Sabha president Nitin Gautam told PTI.
Gautam said, “According to the Haridwar Municipal Bylaws of 1916, entry of non-Hindus into the Har Ki Pauri area is completely prohibited. This sign has been put up to inform everyone about this regulation.”
Haridwar City Commissioner Nandan Kumar also said that the 1916 bylaws barred non-Hindus from entering the Har Ki Pauri area.
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These signs were put up after a video showing two young men in Kandur (traditional Arab clothing) roaming in the Har Ki Pauri area went viral three days ago.
However, it later turned out that the two young men were Hindus and had come to shoot a video for their YouTube channel.
Following the incident, the Sabha reportedly demanded that all religious places, temples and Ganga ghats in the entire Haridwar Kumbh area be restricted to non-Hindus ahead of next year’s ‘Ardh Kumbh’, a demand that the Uttarakhand government is also seriously considering.
The opposition criticizes this move
The opposition criticized the move, calling it a “subversive tactic by the BJP government”, HT reported.
“There is no need for any such formal ban as non-Hindus do not enter these temples. They (BJP) just want to divert public attention from the pressing problems of the state,” Congress state vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana said.
