UP CM Dhami Visits Kedarnath, Initiates Crackdown on Fake Temples

Uttar Pradesh CM Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Kedarnath Dham, inspecting travel and reconstruction works. Earlier, he met with priests, who appreciated his steps to prevent imitation of Chardham. The government plans to introduce strict laws to stop duplicate temple trusts, a move welcomed by seers.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the Kedarnath Dham on Wednesday, performing Jalabhishek of the Gan Nandi Maharaj. Following his temple visit, Dhami inspected the travel arrangements and ongoing reconstruction efforts. The Chief Minister received a warm welcome from priests and the temple committee members.

Previously, on July 23, priests from various temples and Dhams had met with Dhami at his camp office to express their gratitude for his stringent measures against the misuse of Chardham's name. Emphasizing the sacred significance of these sites, Dhami stated, 'Chardhams of our state are the centers of faith for millions of devotees and cannot be replicated anywhere else in Devbhoomi. Our government is dedicated to making decisions that resonate with public sentiments.'

The Uttarakhand Cabinet has announced plans to introduce strict laws to prevent the formation of unauthorized trusts and committees using the Chardham names. This decision has been positively received by seers from Haridwar. One seer commented, 'The government’s new measures will stop the creation of fake Chardham temples, Jyotirlingas, and peeths. We fully support this decision and urge the government to ban any saints involved in this malpractice.' Another seer added, 'This law is crucial to preserving the authenticity of the Char Dham temples. It is the joint responsibility of the government and saints to uphold the sanctity of these pilgrimage sites, especially since they hold a significant spiritual heritage, being the meditative grounds of Guru Shankaracharya. These rules must be rigorously enforced.'

This development comes amidst the controversy over a Shri Kedarnath Dham Delhi Trust’s proposal to build a duplicate Kedarnath temple in Delhi’s Burari region. (ANI)