Controversy Erupts Over Foundation Stone for Kedarnath Temple in New Delhi. Swami Avimukteshwaranand, Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, strongly objected building a Kedarnath temple in New Delhi, stating that there cannot be a symbolic Kedarnath.
Swami Avimukteshwaranand, Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, questioned the legitimacy of building a Kedarnath temple in Delhi, citing the Shiv Puran: “The 12 Jyotirlingas are mentioned with specific names and locations. Kedarnath’s address is in the Himalayas, so how can it be in Delhi?”
Hinting at political motives, he said, “Political people are entering our religious places.” He also brought up allegations of a scam involving gold work inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Kedarnath temple.
“There is a gold scam in Kedarnath, why is that issue not raised? After doing a scam there, now Kedarnath will be built in Delhi? And then there will be another scam,” Swami Avimukteshwaranand stated.
Last year, a senior priest of the Kedarnath temple alleged a ₹125 crore scam in the gold layering work, claiming that brass was used instead of gold. The temple committee denied these allegations.
“228kgs of gold is missing from Kedarnath… No inquiry has started. Who is responsible for this? Now they are saying they will build a Kedarnath in Delhi, this cannot happen,” the Shankaracharya stated.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took part in the bhoomi pujan in the Hiranki neighborhood, laying the foundation stone for the new Kedarnath temple.
Priests at the Kedarnath temple in Rudraprayag district did a protest in front of the shrine on Sunday. Under the banner of Kedar Sabha and supported by various associations, they raised slogans against the Uttarakhand state government and the chief minister.