OPINION | Ban on entry of all non-Hindus to Char Dham: Not justified
Hemant Dwivedi, president of Badrinath-Kedarnath Mandir Samiti says, there are sacred shrines in all faiths where only believers in those religions are allowed entry. He cited the examples of Mecca and Medina, the holy pilgrimage centres of Muslims, and Vatican City, sacred spot for Roman Catholics.
The Sri Gangotri Mandir Samiti in Uttarakhand has decided to ban entry of all non-Hindus to the holy shrine in order to protect its sanctity. The ban will also be in force for non-Hindus entering Mukhba, the winter home of Mother Ganga. Only Hindus will be allowed to enter these two places, said Suresh Semwal, president of the Samiti. His view is, people of other faiths come to these sacred places hurting the sentiments of Hindus. He however said, there will be no ban on entry of those having faith in Sanatan Dharma. Semwal said, ban on entry of non-Hindus to Kedarnath and Badrinath will also be considered in due course.
Hemant Dwivedi, president of Badrinath-Kedarnath Mandir Samiti says, there are sacred shrines in all faiths where only believers in those religions are allowed entry. He cited the examples of Mecca and Medina, the holy pilgrimage centres of Muslims, and Vatican City, the most sacred spot for Roman Catholics. Dwivedi said only those having faith in Sanatan Dharma will be allowed entry to Badrinath and Kedarnath.
Reacting over the move, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said there is nothing wrong in prohibiting entry of people from other faiths to sacred pilgrimage spots of Hindus. Dhami said his government will respect the sentiments of sadhus and will take further action based on legal advice.
Congress leader and former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat said people from all over the world visit Hindu pilgrimage spots to know more about Hindu Dharma, but BJP is trying to work on its political agenda.
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind chief Maulana Arshad Madani said, this is a matter concerning Hindus and they should decide what they desire.
It is a fact that the managements of two famous shrines, Tirupati Balaji and Jagannath Puri, had been prohibiting entry of non-Hindus to the temple premises. But there is no such ban in other Sanatan religious shrines.
The question of ban arose after some incidents were noticed in the recent past. A few days ago, some vendors selling chicken patties at the Gangasagar mela in West Bengal were caught. In Haridwar, several Muslims in the garb of sadhus were nabbed. Some tourists were found eating mutton near a temple. There were tourists who were making reels of these holy spots.
But will it be justified to ban the entry of all because of mistakes committed by a few? A large number of foreign tourists come to India to visit these places in their quest for spiritual salvation.
Apple founder Steve Jobs himself visited Kainchi Dham in search of spirituality. His wife Laurene Powell visited the Maha Kumbh Mela last year, stayed for a month at the holy Sangam, adopted Hinduism and changed her name to Kamala.
There are dozens of such instances. Only those people should be prohibited who insult our Sanatan tradition and culture. It will not be proper to put a ban on all.
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