A temple in the likeness of Kedarnath that has come up in Saifai (Etawah) under the aegis of the Kedareshwar Mahadev Etawah Temple Trust, whose chief trustee is Akhilesh Yadav, has invited the ire of the Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee.
This anger has come too late, given that the announcement about the proposed temple was made some months ago. Yadav had then said as not everyone could go Kedarnath, they now have an option to offer worship in a similar temple. Saifai is the ancestral village of the Yadavs.
In June, the Uttarakhand government announced its intent to bring in a law to stop the misuse of the names of the four famous Himalayan temples, which include Kedarnath and Badrinath.
The consensus is that there can be no alternative to the four dhams, 12 jyotirlingas and 52 shaktipeeths of Sanatan Hinduism and so there should not be any other temple or trust in their name.
At a meeting of the BKTC members, its chairperson, Hemant Dwivedi said the committee will seek legal advice on the matter.
Dwivedi said the ancient scriptures had mentioned the significance of certain places like Kedarnath, and this was not to be taken lightly.
In July last year, the foundation of a temple called Kedarnath, was laid in Delhi by Uttarakhand chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami. This had resulted in such an uproar by the temple committee that the government had to issue a clarification that it had nothing to do with the temple and was not providing any financial assistance to it.
The committee had then decided that it would pursue legal action against those asking for donations to build dharamshalas, multi-speciality hospitals and temples in its name, using photos of the dhams.
It has now urged that the proposed law be put in place as soon as possible so that there can be no misuse of the name of the dhams and the committee.
