Dehradun: To avoid offending religious sentiments, the Kedarnath Dham Delhi Trust has taken a decision to halt the construction of a Kedarnath temple replica in Delhi’s Burari after uproar among Char Dham priests and people in Uttarakhand raised concerns about hurting religious sentiments.
Decision was made to discontinue the temple’s construction
Amid recent controversy surrounding the construction of a replica of the Kedarnath temple in Delhi’s Burari, the Kedarnath Dham Delhi Trust announced on Monday that the project has been withdrawn. Suman Mittal, President of the Shri Kedarnath Dham Delhi Trust, confirmed in an official statement that the decision was made to discontinue the temple’s construction to avoid offending religious sentiments.
Trust has also ceased accepting online donations
In a press note, Suman Mittal, President of the Shri Kedarnath Dham Delhi Trust, stated, “We decided against constructing the temple after receiving objections from some people in Uttarakhand, realizing it would hurt religious sentiments. We are no longer building any temple under that name.” Consequently, the trust has also ceased accepting online donations for the temple construction via QR code.
Replicating it shows disrespect to the centuries-old temple
It is noteworthy that the temple’s construction has been controversial since the foundation stone laying ceremony, which was attended by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in Delhi’s Burari area. Priests from the Himalayan temple in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district opposed the construction, arguing that as one of the 12 ‘Jyotirlingas’ in the country, replicating it elsewhere would show disrespect to the centuries-old temple.
Controversy about temple’s name
There was also controversy regarding the temple’s name. Surinder Rautela, head of the temple building trust, clarified that the name “Delhi Kedarnath Temple” would be changed to avoid hurting sentiments after priests in Char Dham shrines started protesting. “If naming the temple in Delhi as Kedarnath Temple is causing hurt, the trust will change the name,” Rautela stated.
Opposition Congress party organized a march
In opposition to the temple’s construction, the Congress party organized a padyatra (march) from Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar to the proposed temple site. However, the march was called off on its tenth day, just before reaching its destination, due to heavy rains on the night of July 31, which caused significant damage to the Kedarnath trek route.
