Friday, 28 July 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
In latest Uttarakhand news, taking strong exception to the remark made by the national secretary of Samajwadi Party and a former minister, Swami Prasad Maurya that Badrinath shrine was originally a Buddhist monastery until 8th century and the temple had been built on the ruins of the Buddhist shrine, the Uttarakhand cultural affairs minister Satpal Maharaj said that the SP leader was an ignoramus as far as Sanatana Dharma is concerned. “What he said is ludicrous. He should know that when trading with Tibet was being conducted through the route in Niti valley in the past, offerings would come from the Buddhist monasteries in Tibet for Lord Badrinath. Badrinath temple was a revered shrine for the Tibetan Buddhists too. It is another matter that the Santana Dharma traditions revere Lord Buddha as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, but the Badrinath shrine has been standing at its place since the time that precedes the birth of Lord Buddha,” the minister said while urging the Opposition leaders to refrain from indulging in such rhetorical verbosity to grab headlines.
Echoing Maharaj on this matter, the president of Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) Ajendra Ajay said that the SP leader’s statement on Badrinath shrine is unfortunate and unwarranted and this reflected his mental bankruptcy. “This shrine finds mention in the religious scriptures and puranas and it remains a thriving centre for people’s faith for ages. It is so old that its hoariness is difficult to determine,” he said.
Striking a similar note on this row with the saffron brigade, the State Congress president Karan Mahara said that before venturing to make such a ridiculous remark, the SP leader should have studied a lot to comprehend the ancientness and greatness of Badrinath shrine.
The SP leader’s remark assumes significance as it comes in the wake of the Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath Temple dispute gaining momentum with Allahabad High Court hearing the case regarding the conduct of a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi campus in Varanasi.
