The management committee of Yamunotri Dham, one of the sacred Char Dham shrines located in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand, has announced that every devotee visiting the temple will be allowed entry irrespective of religion or caste, provided they come with devotion.
Yamunotri Temple Committee spokesperson Purushottam Uniyal said that anyone arriving for the Char Dham Yatra with faith would be welcomed. “Every person coming on the Char Dham Yatra is considered a Sanatani. Whoever comes to Yamunotri with devotion will be received in the spirit of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ (Guest is God),” he said. He added that no devotee would be asked about religion or caste and all would be allowed darshan of Goddess Yamuna.
Earlier, conditional entry norms had been discussed for non-followers of Sanatan Dharma at other Char Dham shrines, including Badrinath Dham, Kedarnath Dham and Gangotri Dham.
Chairman of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, Hemant Dwivedi, said that non-Hindu visitors could be allowed entry if they submitted an affidavit expressing faith in Sanatan Dharma.
Meanwhile, the Gangotri Temple Committee stated that non-Sanatan followers would be permitted entry into the temple only after consuming Panchagavya, a traditional prasad prepared using cow dung, cow urine, milk, curd and ghee.
This year, the Char Dham Yatra will commence on April 19 on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, with the opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines in Uttarkashi district. The doors of the Badrinath shrine will open on April 23, while the Kedarnath shrine will open on April 22.
Online registration for the Char Dham Yatra started on March 6, and by 5 pm on Thursday, more than 9.32 lakh devotees had completed registration. In addition, over 4,000 pilgrims have registered for the Hemkund Sahib Yatra, which is scheduled to begin on May 23.
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