A temple committee official on Wednesday said entry of non-Hindus into the Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines in Uttarakhand will be barred from this year. The proposal was unanimously approved during a board meeting of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of its president, Hemant Dwivedi.
Dwivedi said the new rule will come into force from the upcoming pilgrimage season next month. Under the regulation, non-Hindus will not be allowed to enter the temple premises or the sanctum sanctorum.
He also said the tradition of restricting the entry of non-Hindus has existed since the time of Adi Shankaracharya. He added that the Constitution allows religious institutions to manage their own affairs.
"Badrinath and Kedarnath are not tourist spots, but centres of faith. These are Vedic centres established by Adi Shankaracharya. Article 26 of the Indian Constitution grants every religious denomination the right to manage its own religious affairs," Dwivedi said.
The doors of Badrinath Dham are scheduled to open on April 23, while the doors of Kedarnath Dham will open on April 22. The Char Dham Yatra will begin on April 19 on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, when the gates of the Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines are opened.
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