Uttarakhand: Ban Imposed On Taking Photos, Videos Inside Kedarnath Temple; Pilgrims Urged To Dress Modestly

Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee has implemented a strict ban on photography and videography within the premises of Kedarnath Temple.

Further, the Committee has also urged devotees to dress modestly while visiting the temple.

To ensure compliance, warning signs have been prominently displayed throughout the temple premises, cautioning visitors that any attempts to take pictures or record videos will result in legal consequences.

"Do not enter the temple premises with mobile phones; any kind of photography and videography is strictly prohibited inside the temple and you are under the surveillance of CCTV cameras", the boards read, reports news agency ANI.

Ajay Ajendra, the president of the Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, said that these measures have been implemented due to the recent incidents of inappropriate behaviour.

Further, he informed that pilgrims have also been urged to dress modestly while visiting the Kedarnath Dham.

"Pilgrims to Kedarnath have been urged to dress modestly. In the past, some pilgrims had been caught filming and taking photos indecently inside the temple," Ajendra was quoted as saying by ANI.

The temple committee has implemented the ban in response to the "purported indecent behaviour of certain pilgrims", which conveyed a wrong message.

Warning signs have been put up at Kedarnath to ensure strict adherence to the guidelines, according to the President of the Temple Committee.

Following the circulation of a viral video showing a girl proposing to her boyfriend near Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand earlier this month, the Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) wrote to the Kedarnath Dham Police requesting a prohibition on filming videos in the temple vicinity.

The letter urged the police to strictly monitor the area around the temple and take necessary measures against those creating YouTube shorts/videos/Instagram reels to prevent any similar incidents from occurring again.

This comes after a girl proposed to her boyfriend in front of Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand. During this, a friend of the girl made a video that went viral on social media.

Following the viral spread of the video, a debate ensued among internet users. After the issue came to its notice, the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee has adopted a firm stance on the matter.

According to the temple committee, creating videos or reels within the temple premises has a negative impact on the religious sanctity of the place.

The temple committee has also asked the police to take action against the people making such videos.