Ayodhya Ram Temple's head priest: 'Not right to make another temple in Kedarnath's name'

Ayodhya Ram Temple's head priest Acharya Satyendra Das has joined the league of seers objecting to a new temple in Delhi in the name of Kedarnath Dham. He said it was not appropriate to make another temple in the name of Kedarnath. "If it has to come, it should have a different name," he said. "There is only one Kedarnath Temple and it will remain so."

Das said there are 12 Jyotirlinga, and Kedarnath Ji is among them. "It is in Uttarakhand, and it holds supreme powers. The powers of 12 Jyotirlinga are 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 the replica of the Temple," the Ayodhya temple's head priest said. 

One Kedarnath Trust is constructing a replica of the centuries-old Himalayan temple in Delhi. The Kedarnath Dham is situated in Uttarakhand's Garhwal region. The seers and priests of Kedarnath have launched an agitation in protest against the construction. 

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the groundbreaking and stone-laying ceremony of the temple at Hiranki in Burari recently. 

The stir entered its third day on Monday. They shouted slogans against the state government. "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.

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.

Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee chairman Ajendra Ajay offered a clarification on behalf of the state government. He said the state government had nothing to do with the construction of the temple. "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," Ajay said.

(With inputs from PTI)