India News | Haridwar Seers Protest Building of Kedareshwar Temple by Akhilesh Yadav in UP's Etawah

Haridwar, Jul 19 (PTI) Prominent seers here on Saturday opposed the alleged construction of a temple named Kedareshwar Dham on the lines of the Kedarnath shrine by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav at Uttar Pradesh's Etawah.

Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad president Mahant Ravindrapuri said by building a temple in Etawah as a replica of the 12th Jyotirlinga situated in the Himalayas in Uttarakhand, Yadav has hatched a "big conspiracy" against Sanatan Dharma and to belittle the importance of the centuries old Himalayan temple.

Also Read | Bihar Electoral Roll Revision: Nearly 42 Lakh Electors Not Found at Addresses During the Ongoing SIR Drive, Says Election Commission.

Ravindrapuri is also the president of Mansa Devi Temple trust and Secretary of Panchayati Shri Niranjani Akhara.

The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad is with the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee and the priests on this issue and strongly condemns this act of Akhilesh Yadav, he said.

Also Read | Parliament Monsoon Session 2025: INDIA Bloc to Raise Pahalgam Terror Attack, Donald Trump's Claims on India-Pakistan 'Ceasefire' and Bihar SIR of Electoral Rolls in House.

Instead of replicating Kedarnath, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister should build another temple dedicated to lord Shiva, he said.

Mahamandaleshwar Swami Lalitananda Giri also said that the construction of Kedareshwar temple in Etawah is wrong.

A temple of Lord Shiva under any other name can be built anywhere but building a temple anywhere else in the name of the 12th Jyotirlinga is wrong, Giri said.

Earlier, an attempt was made to build a temple on the lines of Kedarnath in Delhi but the idea was dropped after vehement protests from the priests of Kedarnath.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)