Thursday, March 28, 2024
Advertisement
  1. You Are At:
  2. News
  3. India
  4. No restriction on chanting of mantras, singing of bhajans inside Amarnath cave shrine, clarifies NGT

No restriction on chanting of mantras, singing of bhajans inside Amarnath cave shrine, clarifies NGT

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar observed that the green tribunal has not declared a "silence zone" at the shrine but due silence has to be maintained only in front of the ice stalagmite resembling the 'ShivaLinga'.

India TV News Desk Reported by: India TV News Desk New Delhi Published on: December 14, 2017 15:55 IST
No restriction on chanting of mantras, singing of bhajans
No restriction on chanting of mantras, singing of bhajans inside Amarnath cave shrine, clarifies NGT

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today clarified that it has not passed any order that bans chanting of mantras and singing of bhajans inside the Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar observed that the green tribunal has not declared a "silence zone" at the shrine but due silence has to be maintained only in front of the ice stalagmite resembling the 'ShivaLinga'. 

The green tribunal had yesterday declared the cave shrine as a "silence zone" and prohibited religious offerings beyond the entry point. 

It had earlier said that declaring the area around the Amarnath cave shrine a "silence zone" would be helpful in preventing avalanches and maintaining its pristine nature. 

The Amarnath cave shrine is considered one of the major holy shrines by the Hindus. The cave itself is covered with snow most of the year barring a short period of time in summer when it is opened for pilgrims. 

NGT's clarification today followed protests by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a Hindu right-wing outfit, which had termed its earlier order as a "Tughlaki fatwa" (whimsical whip). It had said that Hindus were not responsible for every ecological problem on the earth. 

However, environment activist Gauri Maulekhi, on whose plea the directions were passed, had welcomed the order and termed it "good and progressive". 

"The Amarnath cave is located in a delicate ecosystem. The directions would make the Amarnath Yatra safe and convenient for the devotees. This would protect the shrine from degradation and ensure it is protected for the coming generations. It is indeed a very good and progressive direction," Maulekhi had said yesterday.

Advertisement

Read all the Breaking News Live on indiatvnews.com and Get Latest English News & Updates from India

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement