Dehradun, March 11 Non-Hindus will be prohibited from entering the Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines in Uttarakhand from this year, an official of the temple committee said on Wednesday.
The decision was taken during a board meeting of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee held on Tuesday, chaired by the committee's president, Hemant Dwivedi. The proposal received unanimous approval.
Dwivedi said that the new rule will be implemented starting with the pilgrimage season next month. Under this regulation, non-Hindus will not be allowed to enter the temple complexes or the sanctum sanctorum.
He further noted that the tradition of restricting entry for non-Hindus has existed since the time of Adi Shankaracharya, adding that the Constitution provides for the management of religious sites.
"Badrinath and Kedarnath are not tourist spots but centres of faith. These are Vedic centres established by Adi Shankaracharya. Article 26 of the Indian Constitution grants every religious denomination the right to manage its own religious affairs," Dwivedi said.
The doors of Badrinath Dham are scheduled to open on April 23, while those of Kedarnath Dham will open on April 22.
The Char Dham Yatra will commence on April 19 on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, when the gates of the Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines are opened.