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However, the Yamunotri Temple Committee, one of the four holy shrines, has not yet taken any decision on the matter.
Badrinath Kedarnath temple committee chairman Hemant Dwivedi told PTI that the committee has reached a consensus among all stakeholders, including saints, pilgrimage priests and local people, regarding the ban on entry of non-Hindus into the temple areas. Gangotri Temple Committee has already taken its decision.
Dwivedi said, “This proposal will be formally approved in the temple committee board meeting later this week, after which this rule will be implemented in Badrinath and Kedarnath temples.”
He said, “The ban on entry of non-Hindus has been there since the time of Adi Shankaracharya and our Constitution also gives us the right to manage our religious places.”
He said, “Badrinath and Kedarnath temples are not tourist destinations but centers of faith. These are Vedic centers established by Adi Shankaracharya. Article 26 of the Indian Constitution gives every sect the right to manage its religious affairs.” He further clarified that people having faith in Sanatan Dharma are welcome in these temples.
Asked about Sikh and Jain devotees visiting the Kedarnath and Badrinath temples for a long time, Dwivedi said the issue was not about any particular religion but about the individual’s faith towards the religious place.
Uttarakhand Governor Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh (Retd) has also been visiting both the temples.
Meanwhile, Gangri Temple Committee Secretary Suresh Semwal said that non-Hindus will be barred from entering the Ganga temple.
Semwal said, “We have said this time and again, and now we are once again announcing on behalf of the temple committee that non-Hindus will be barred from entering the Ganga temple. Gangotri Dham will be completely off limits to non-Hindus.” Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also said that temple committees play an important role in the management of Char Dham Yatra, while the role of the government is only supportive.
He said that all stakeholders will be listened to in this regard.
Recently, Ganga Sabha, the organization that manages Har Ki Pauri and surrounding ghats in Haridwar, has also demanded that non-Hindus be barred from entry into all Ganga ghats and religious sites within the Kumbh Mela area ahead of the proposed Ardh Kumbh next year.
Citing the Haridwar Municipal Corporation Act of 1916, Ganga Sabha has also put up signs declaring the area around Har Ki Pauri as “non-Hindu prohibited area”.
Responding to this, the Congress party said that the BJP government of the state is doing this to divert attention from the problems of the people.
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said, “The government should consider where to impose restrictions and make them permanent. Time and again, it wants to divert people’s attention by confusing them.”