India
A wave of controversy has emerged amid the construction of the Kedarnath Temple replica in New Delhi. Several priests and spiritual figures across India are against the decision.
Protestors got aggravated when Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami performed the Bhumi Poojan and laid the foundation stone of the replica temple in Hiranki, Burari, Delhi on July 10.
The replica is being built to resolve the issue of it being closed 6 months every year. Shri Kedarnath Dham Trust, Burari, is building the replica on 3 acres of land.
Priests and several religious leaders are protesting as they believe that building a replica of the scared Jyotirlinga is defying the Hindu tradition.
Priests from Kedarnath are calling it a 'disrespect to the sanctity of the centuries-old Himalayan temple'. Many religious figures across the nation are voicing their displeasure.
A statement by Ajendra Ajay, Chairman of the Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee said that the state government has no hand in the construction and is done by an organisation.
As per the epic of Mahabharata, Pandavas built the temple to pay for their sins. It is believed that Lord Shiva came here in the form of a bull and disappeared into the ground.