What's the row over constructing the Kedarnath temple replica in Delhi?

The holy shrine of Lord Shiva in Uttarakhand, Kedarnath Temple, is back in the news.

A controversy erupted over the construction of a replica of the centuries-old Himalayan temple in Delhi.

While the temple is being constructed in the National Capital, the protest is taking place in Uttarakhand.

Here’s all we know about it.

The replica of Kedarnath temple

The Kedarnath temple replica is being constructed in Hiranki, Burari, on three expansive acres of land by the Shri Kedarnath Dham Trust, Burari.

According to the trust, the temple is being built since the original Kedarnath Dham in Uttarakhand is closed for six months each year due to harsh weather conditions.

The temple trust even claimed it would be an exact replica, using similar architecture and materials, according to Business Today.

The trust, overseen by its founder-president, Surinder Rautela, is the owner of the plot and will also bear the construction cost of around Rs 12 crore, the report claimed.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the groundbreaking and stone-laying ceremony of the temple on July 10.

#WATCH | Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami attends Shri Kedarnath Dham Bhoomi Poojan, in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/hhbVrsNuEa

— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2024

The trust’s administrative head, Jitendra Sulara, said on Tuesday, that the construction of the shrine is expected to be finished by the end of 2026, as per The Times of India.

The original temple, located at a high altitude in the Himalayas of Uttarakhand’s Garhwal region, is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, sacred representations of Lord Shiva. The temple is also among the four sacred Hindu shrines, comprising the Char Dham, the others being Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

The protest

The seers and priests of Kedarnath, along with many religious leaders and citizens of Uttarakhand, are vehemently opposing the project.

They also launched a three-day protest from July 12-15, shouting slogans against the state government, according to PTI.

Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan President Swami Darshan Bharti alleged it was being done under a conspiracy and appealed to the believers of Sanatan to stall the project.

“Misusing the name of Baba Kedar is a sin. I appeal to all sanatanis to wake up and foil this conspiracy,” he said.

As per TOI, the opposition Congress in the state has accused CM Dhami and the ruling BJP of undermining the sanctity of the ancient shrine.

Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) chairperson Ajendra Ajay said, “The state government has nothing to do with the construction of the temple in Delhi. It is being done by an organisation named Kedarnath Trust. The state government has offered no financial assistance in its construction. The chief minister attended the stone laying function on the invitation of some seers and public representatives as it was a religious ceremony.”

#WATCH | Uttarakhand | Regarding the controversy over the Kedarnath temple being built in Burari, Delhi, Ajendra Ajay, President of Shri Badrinath- Kedarnath Temple Committee says, "The Uttarakhand government has nothing to do with this temple. The Chief Minister had attended the… pic.twitter.com/OGjGsAnOnm

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 15, 2024

However, the apex body overseeing the twin shrines, warned of legal action against the trust in Delhi if it went ahead with plans to construct the shrine replica.

Ajay said, “We have received complaints about individuals and organisations forming trusts in the name of Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines and collecting money to construct temples, hospitals, ashrams, etc. Some are even using apps to collect money on the pretext of organising online prayers at the two shrines. We will take all legal action possible.”

The reason

The concerns of those protesting are multi-fold.

The priests believe replicating a sacred Jyotirlinga defies religious traditions.

They say the original shrines hold a unique place in Hindu belief, and replicating them goes against established practices.

They argue that bringing a stone from Kedarnath Dham to Delhi disrupts the sacred tradition associated with the temple. They declared there is and will always be only one Kedarnath Dham, and it cannot be replaced by any other temple.

“Constructing a temple in the name of Kedarnath Dham in Delhi is showing disrespect to the sanctity of the centuries-old Himalayan temple revered by generations of Hindus,” said Umesh Posti, who is linked to the association of priests in Kedarnath, told PTI.

Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, Swami Avimukteshwaranand, alleged a gold scam in Kedarnath and that there would be another one in Delhi.

He told ANI, “There cannot be a symbolic Kedarnath… 12 Jyotirlingas have been mentioned in the Shiv Puran, along with their name and location… When the address for Kedarnath is in the Himalayas, how can it be in Delhi? There are political reasons behind this. Political people are entering our religious places. There is a gold scam in Kedarnath, why is that issue not raised? After doing a scam there, now Kedarnath will be built in Delhi? And then there will be another scam. 228 kilogrammes of gold is missing from Kedarnath. No inquiry has started. Who is responsible for this? Now they are saying they will build a Kedarnath in Delhi; this cannot happen.”

#WATCH | Mumbai: On Kedarnath Temple to be built in Delhi, Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, Swami Avimukteshwaranand alleges, "There cannot be a symbolic Kedarnath... 12 Jyotirlingas have been mentioned in the Shiv Puran with name and location... When the address for Kedarnath is in… pic.twitter.com/ZnvCNtztrO

— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2024

Acharya Satyendra Das, Head Priest of the Ayodhya Ram Temple, told PTI, “There are 12 Jyotirlinga, Kedarnath Ji is among them. It is in Uttarakhand, and it holds supreme powers. The powers of 12 Jyotirlinga is incomparable, hence, people go there to seek blessings.”

“If another temple is coming up (in Delhi) with the same name, it will not be in 12 Jyotirlinga. People won’t get the same result at a replica temple. It is not appropriate to make another temple in the name of Kedarnath, if it has to come, it should have a different name. There is only one Kedarnath Temple and it will remain so.”

VIDEO | "There are 12 Jyotirlinga, Kedarnath Ji is among them. It is in Uttarakhand, and it holds supreme powers. The powers of 12 Jyotirlinga is incomparable, hence people go there to seek blessings. If another temple is coming up (in Delhi) with the same name, it will not be in… pic.twitter.com/N9ORZ7bBDd

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 16, 2024

Responding to these, Sulara countered, “There are several Vaishno Devi temples across India. There is a Badrinath temple in Mumbai. There is even a Kedarnath temple in Indore. Why cannot we build one here?”

“It is not against Sanatan Dharma to build a temple. But it cannot be compared with the original in Kedarnath because we don’t have a Jyotirlinga. This is just another Shiva temple.”

Rautela, too, contended, “This is nothing new and we fail to understand the controversy,” while also contemplating the removal of the word “Dham” to avoid confusion.

#WATCH | Uttarakhand: Regarding the controversy over the Kedarnath temple being built in Burari, Shri Kedarnath Dham Delhi Trust founder Surendra Rautela, says, "If sentiments are being hurt by naming the temple to be built in Delhi as Kedarnath Temple, then the trust will change… pic.twitter.com/TVmGhsEhlu

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 16, 2024

With inputs from agencies