News Analysis India

Tag: Kedarnath Temple

  • Congress stirs row, says BJP leaders entered Kedarnath temple premises with shoes on

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: The live telecast of prayers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kedarnath and the presence of BJP leaders in the temple premises with their shoes on has kicked up a controversy, with the Congress terming it a violation of traditions.

    The BJP leaders were seen wearing their shoes on in the Kedarnath temple complex.

    Objecting to the live telecast, Congress general secretary Harish Rawat in a tweet said it set a wrong precedent.

    “All devotees are equal in the eyes of Lord Shiva. How can people be stopped now from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temple with their cameras or mobile phones and recording things inside it. Gradually, people will break other traditions as well,” Rawat said.

    After this an old video of state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal surfaced on social media, in which he is seen talking to a TV journalist inside the Kedarnath temple after the 2013 disaster with his shoes on.

    In a quick reaction to this, Godiyal tweeted all BJP leaders were wearing their shoes in the temple premises during the prime minister’s programme on November 5, whereas he went inside the temple wearing his shoes at the time of the disaster when it was cluttered with thousands of dead bodies.

    According to Godiyal the two instances cannot be equated as they happened in different circumstances.

    Backing Godiyal’s argument, Harish Rawat shared his tweet, saying pulling the bodies out of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple after the 2013 deluge was the first and foremost priority. 

  • Uttarakhand: Portals of Kedarnath Temple open amid strict COVID protocols

    By ANI
    RUDRAPRAYAG: The portals of the Kedarnath Temple were reopened on Monday amid observation of strict COVID-19 protocols.

    The gates of the temple were opened at 5 am today after a ritualistic ceremony, while Gangotri and Yamunotri temples were reopened on May 14.

    “Kedarnath shrine was reopened today at 5 am with all the rituals. I pray to Baba Kedarnath to keep everyone healthy,” tweeted Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat.

    According to the Devasthanam Board, Kedarnath is one of the four shrines of the idol of Lord Shiva, which was moved to his winter abode Omkareshwar Temple at Ukhimath and it was reinstalled at Kedarnath on May 14.

    The portals were closed in November last year for the winter season.

    Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government has announced that the ‘Chardham Yatra’ has been temporarily suspended in view of the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

    “In view of the COVID pandemic, ‘Chardham Yatra’ is temporarily suspended. Only rituals are being performed with no pilgrims allowed,” the Uttarakhand DIPR said.

    According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 80,000 active cases in Uttarakhand, while 1,98,616 people have recovered from the disease so far.

    The death toll has mounted to 4,623 in the state.

  • Kedarnath temple to reopen to devotees on May 17, Badrinath on May 18

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: The portals of Kedarnath Temple will be reopened for devotees on May 17, a spokesperson of the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board said on Thursday.

    The idol of Lord Shiva will be moved out of its winter abode at Ukhimath’s Omkareshwar temple on May 14.

    The famous temple will reopen for devotees at 5 am on May 17.

    The temple was closed on November 16 last year.

    Badrinath Temple, which was closed on November 19, will reopen to devotees on May 18, the spokesperson said.

    Gangotri and Yamunotri temples will reopen on May 14.

    The Char Dham Yatra will begin this year after the reopening of the four temples.

    The portals of the four famous Himalayan shrines — Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri — are opened every year between April and May after a six-month closure during which they remain snowbound.