There has to be a fine balance between promoting tourism – religious, recreational; and maintaining the sanctity of the religious places. The latest incessant attacks on Hindus during their holy festivals have led to demands of prohibiting non-Hindu entry into sacred places of worship. The attempt is to protect the sanctity of Hindu religious sites and adjoining places.
CM’s statement on Non-Hindus visiting Char Dhams
Responding to the demands of Hindu Seers, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami made it clear that it is important to preserve religion and culture of the state. Terming Uttarakhand as a peaceful state, he said Uttarakhand is a centre of Dharma and Culture. He also stated that his government will start a verification drive to stop anyone from entering the state with intentions of disturbing the peace or creating a riot-like situation. The verification drive will help the state government weed out all the illegal refugees/immigrants and anti-social elements, improving the law and order situation.
He said, “Our state should remain peaceful. Our state’s ‘dharma sanskriti’ (religious traditions) should remain protected. The state government will soon begin a verification drive. It will try verifying those who have not been verified properly. No such people should come here because of whom the peace in the state may get disrupted”.
We'll run drives for preserving our culture. We'll try that those who don't have proper verification should get it done & that people due to whom situation might become unstable shouldn't enter the state:Uttarakhand CM on Seers' demanding ban on non-Hindus' from Char Dham sites pic.twitter.com/WtEwcXWP6M
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) April 19, 2022
Read More: Char Dham will not be handled by the government anymore but by Bhagwan’s Bhakts
Earlier a council of seers and saints, Shankaracharya Parishad, had written a letter to CM Dhami. They had demanded prohibition of non-Hindus, particularly Muslims from entering Char Dham shrines. The letter was in the wake of many unfortunate attacks on Hindu festivals in several parts of India. Swami Anand Swarup, head of Parishad, raked the matter of non-Hindus settling near holy places in the name of employment and trade.
Significance of Mini Char Dham Yatra
The four holy shrines in Uttarakhand – Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath are referred to as Mini Char Dhams. It is believed that the Pandavas too had visited these shrines. In Hindu beliefs Char Dham Yatra is a way to attain moksha (Salvation) and every Hindu is supposed to visit these holy shrines at least once in their lifetime. Hence the sanctity of these religious places holds importance in the heart of Hindu believers.
The trend of violence by Islamists against Hindus, especially on their auspicious days, is on a rampant rise. The Islamists have in past tried to stoke communal tensions by organising unholy practices like meat stalls etc. near the Hindu temple premises. Moreover the illegal refugees i.e. Rohingya Muslims have been encroaching on lands belonging to the government or local Hindu community and doing criminal activities.
This verification process by the state should continue till all the illegal Rohingya Muslims have been marked out and deported. It is good to see that the government is taking proactive steps to preserve the sanctity of Hindu shrines and stop the attacks on Hindus like it is happening in other parts of India. The success of this verification drive will set a very good template for other states to follow.