Dehradun: The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) on Monday (January 26) proposed a ban on the entry of non-Hindus into Badrinath–Kedarnath Dham and other temples under its jurisdiction. Shri Badrinath–Kedarnath Temple Committee Chairman Hemant Dwivedi confirmed the development.
Dwivedi said that a proposal to ban the entry of non-Hindus into both Dhams and all temples under the Temple Committee would be presented at the upcoming board meeting.
Earlier in the day, non-Hindus were prohibited from entering Gangotri Dham in Uttarakhand. The decision was taken unanimously during a meeting of the Shri Gangotri Temple Committee held on Sunday. The restriction will apply not only to Gangotri Dham but also to Mukhba, the winter abode of Maa Ganga.
Shri Gangotri Temple Committee Chairman Suresh Semwal stated that, as per the decision, the entry of non-Hindus into the Dham will be strictly prohibited. He added that the ban will also remain in force at Mukhba, the winter residence of the deity.
This year, the gates of the Badrinath temple in the Chamoli district `will reopen for devotees on April 23.
Notably, Hindu groups have been demanding ban on the entry of non-Hindus to all Ganga ghats located in the Haridwar Kumbh Mela area. Earlier this month, Shri Ganga Sabha, the organisation that manages and maintains Har Ki Pauri and the surrounding Ganga ghats in Haridwar, demanded that the Uttarakhand government declare the Kumbh Mela area a restricted zone for non-Hindus before the Ardh Kumbh in 2027.
“It is the need of the hour that before the upcoming Kumbh, the entry of non-Hindus should be banned at all Ganga ghats and religious places in the Kumbh Mela area,” Shri Ganga Sabha president Nitin Gautam said, as quoted by PTI.
