SHANKARACHARYA AVIMUKTESHVARANA-ND STRONGLY AGAINST LAYING OF FOUNDATION STONE OF NEW KEDARNATH TEMPLE IN DELHI
In Uttarakhand, protest demonstrations are taking place against the laying of foundation stone by the Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami few days ago near Burari in Delhi for constructing a new Kedarnath Shrine.
The Kedarnath Badrinath Mandri Samittee Priests etc have strongly protested on this count saying that this is not permissible.
The Shankaracharya Avimukteshvaranand who had been outspoken and vocal to protest on Ayodhya Ram Temple consecration issue by prime minister Narendra Modi, has strongly come out in the open to oppose tooth and nail the laying of a foundation stone in Delhi for constructing another Kedarnath temple saying that there cannot be another or parallel symbolic Kedarnath temple, elsewhere.
He categorically said there are already the mention of 12 Jyotir Lingaas in the ancient scriptures of Shiva Puraana with their names and locations.
When the address of original and only Kedarnath is in the Himalayas , how can it be in the national capital Delhi asked Shankaracharya Avimukteshvaranand sarcastically.
A vociferous saint Shankaracharya Avimukteshvaranand has openly levelled charges of practising massive corruption in the gold laying process inside the sanctum sanctorum of Kedarnath temple where a Maharashtra based businessman had donated nearly 220 kgs of Gold at the feet of lord Kedarnath.
He even went to the extent of accusing politics and politicians entering temple to exploit the religious sentiments for vested aims.
He said annoyingly that a massive Gold scam has taken place in Kedarnath. Why was the issue not raised instead sent in cold storage. He emphatically said that after committing corruption in this Gold scam now they are again building another Kedarnath Shrine in Delhi and now there will be another scam there, as well.
He questioned the journalists why don’t you raise this issue, expose the corruption in 228 kg gold scandal.
The Shankaracharya was speaking n responding to the questions of the mediamen on this issue.
It may be recalled that there was tremendous controversy over this issue as one of the Temple priests had openly accused the Temple Committee trust for placing brass plates instead of Gold on the walls of the Kedarnath temple in sanctum sanctorum alleging that the Gold of Rs 125 crores have been bungled/ embezzled with, and several newspapers and news channels have published the news with front page headlines.
Extremely vocal and annoyed, the Shankaracharya said that about 228 Kgs of Gold is missing from Kedarnath Temple asking who is responsible for this serious lapse n now they are building another Kedarnath in Delhi , why asked Avimukteshvaranand.
There had been protests in Garhwal Uttarakhand on this issue with good number of priests in Kedarnath temple protesting in Rudraprayag opposing the construction of a parallel Kedarnath temple in Delhi by a religious trust where a Stone from Kedarnath Temple will also be shifted thus destroying and degrading the sanctity of the Kedarnath temple said Pradeep Shukla of Kedarnath Sabha ( spokesman) under whose banner the protest demonstrations were held.
The leader of the opposition in Uttarakhand assembly Yashpal Arya, former minister Ukhand government wrote on X affixing the video of Shankaracharya on X : Shri Kedarnath Dham is the centre of our religious faith and spiritual consciousness; it is not a subject of exhibition or tourism, the government should understand this. Shri Kedarnath Dham is one of the five Peethas of Shiva tradition, where the Rawal is called Jagatguru being in the Guru place. Just as Adi Shankaracharya established four monasteries, similarly there are five Peethas in the Shaiva tradition. According to the story of Puranas, Ravana also made a similar attempt to take the Shivling of Lord Shiva with him. Instead of building a temple in Delhi, it would have been better to investigate those who stole the gold and brass used in Kedarnath temple. But the government only wants to snatch the vote in the form of Sita in the guise of a saint.
