'People want to do business in the name of the Kedarnath temple.'
Hindu priests at Kedarnath are upset with the Bharatiya Janata Party after Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami performed the bhoomi pujan for a replica of the Kedarnath temple to be built in Hiranki, Burari, Delhi.
The Kedarnath temple replica is set to be built on three acres of land by the Shri Kedarnath Dham Trust, Burari.
The reason for building the replica is that since Kedarnath Dham in Uttarakhand is closed for six months every year in winter, the new temple will act as a substitute for pilgrims.
But this reasoning has not gone down well among the community of Hindu priests who feel that the sanctity of century-old traditions is being distorted and that the move is hurtful to Hindu sentiment.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com spoke to Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan President Swami Darshan Bharati to find out why they are opposing this move.
Why are you protesting against the Kedarnath replica in Delhi?
We have 12 jyotirlings of which one is located in Kedarnath in the Himalayas. We call it ananiyanant ling (eternal), which cannot be copied. We have our own traditions and we have our own puja vidhi vidhan. The Rawal (head priest) who conducts this puja is a brahmachari of the highest order. The priest who leads the prayer at Kedarnath is always a brahmachari. The sanctity of this place has to be maintained all the time.
In our religious texts Kedarnath exists from Satyug. In Tretayug too Kedarnath has been mentioned. Dwaparyug also mentions about this place as Lord Krishna passed through here, so did the Pandavas.
Post Dwaparyug, when Adi Sankara came here he re-established this place. This temple (Kedarnath) was first made by the Pandavas. Before that this place was hidden in the snow for centuries.
This is the holiest place for Hindus so you cannot make a replica of this in Delhi.
What is it they want to showcase in the Delhi replica?
People want to do business in the name of the Kedarnath temple.
You take the example of the Kaaba in Mecca which is worshipped by Muslims across the world. There have been in the past and even today great Muslim powers who ruled their respective countries but no one dared to make a replica of the Kaaba.
Nobody can do a replica of the Kaaba which is located in Mecca. So, how can they do it for Kedarnath?
When you objected to the Kedarnath replica what did the government say?
They told us that they will remove the word 'dham' from the name for the replica Kedarnath temple in Delhi. We told them you make a mandir wherever you want but you cannot make a dham, which they were doing.
Are you happy now since they agreed to remove the word 'dham' from the Kedarnath replica?
I can only comment when I reach Delhi to see what is going on.
Right now, I feel that there is some conspiracy in the making of this temple for which I want to go and check.
The land on which they are making the temple is khaddar (barren land). I want to find out whether some land mafia is making this temple (to make a profit).
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the inauguration of the replica temple in Delhi.
Right now he is on the back foot on this issue and so is the committee of that replica temple.
Till the time I don't go personally and find out what is the motive to make such a replica temple, I will not know the complete picture.
Do you fear that pilgrim numbers will drop at Kedarnath if the replica in Delhi picks up?
No, I don't think so because those who believe in Baba Kedarnath and Ma Ganga will travel to Kedarnath. They will get spiritual solace only there.
What my objection is to making a business out of the Hindu religion. Stop the business of Hindu religion.
I will not allow the construction of a Kedarnath replica in Delhi. I don't trust this committee a bit at this moment.
Who are these people who plan to do so?
Unfortunately, all of them are associated with the BJP. The chairman and every other post are held by people who are associated with the BJP.
Hindutva runs in my blood and it is the BJP alone which takes care of Hindutva. And if they too start doing such things, then people will surely oppose their stance.
Why did they do so, then?
I don't understand and they are doing so in spite of doing not so well in the parliamentary elections.
I respect Prime Minister Narendra Modi and see the tragedy only in this election is that he did not visit Kedarnath.
This time he went to Kanyakumari and therefore he did not get Bholeji's aashirvad.
Kedarnath is a place of energy and you can only feel it if you go there. The Himalaya is itself a power.
Mr Dhami said he was invited and therefore he went for the inauguration of the replica temple.
He cannot go to an event without knowing the details of the event. There were three BJP MLAs from Uttarakhand at the event.
Maybe the CM did not know that his visit will lead to such a huge controversy or was unaware of the consequences of his attendance.
Do you see some connection that the BJP is unable to relate to Hindu sentiments, as they lost in Ayodhya after which they lost in the Badrinath assembly bye-election too?
You wait and watch. After Ayodhya, Badrinath, the BJP will lose Kedarnath seat too.
Hindus wanted the BJP to protect their religion and they failed to do that. Therefore they lost in Badrinath.
But is the BJP not a protector of the Hindu religion, considering the fact that under Mr Modi's leadership we saw the Ram Mandir inauguration at Ayodhya? Where did they go wrong then? No one saw this coming before June 4...
We did see this coming before June 4. Constructing the Ram Mandir is not all about Hindutva. It already existed and they inaugurated it with high profile drama.
The pran pratishta was done wrongly as the mandir work was not even completed. They did not call the common people but VIPs, industrialists like Ambani and actors.
If you notice, there was no difference between Ambani's son's wedding and the pran pratishta of the Ram Mandir.
You cannot do such things for religion, as religion accepts all kind of people be it a fakir or a raja. The BJP made mistake after mistake.
What should the BJP have done for Hindus then?
They spoke of the National Register of Citizens but never implemented it. They let people go mad by talking about the NRC all the time but never took any action on it.
They spoke about the population control bill but never brought that too.
They spoke many times against Waqf Board properties but never took action.
I am not talking against any religion but if your party talks of Hindutva then you've got to follow it.
Prime Minister Modi openly practises Hinduism and speaks about the greatness of the religion in many forums, isn't it?
Diya kya aur kiya kya? (What has he done and given?) Prime Minister Modi has done nothing for Hindus.
You take the example of Rampur in Uttar Pradesh. There was a polling booth where 2,300 Muslim voters were there. Prime Minister Modi made 400-500 homes for those people and believe me, not a single vote from that polling booth came to the BJP.
He is the prime minister of India and he has to follow the 'Sab Ka Saath aur Sab Ka Vikas' philosophy.
Let him follow that, I have no objection, but when you speak of Hindutva, you got to do things for Hindus.
What must he do for Hindus? Do you want him to build a temple at Kashi and Mathura where court cases are going on for decades?
Our country is a country of temples. Every home has a mandir.
I only want to know, what did Prime Minister Modi do for the Hindu community? There is no answer.
Is there a party who is close to your philosophy then?
I will commit suicide if I go away from the BJP. There is no other party for people like us.
I worked on the Love Jihad project in Uttarakhand and helped to make a law on it.
I worked on the Land Jihad in Uttarakhand where we took a stance on nearly 1,000 illegal Muslim shrines. I ensured they got demolished.
I also went to jail and right now am out on bail.
