The committee that manages the Badrinath and Kedarnath temples has said non-Hindus would be allowed to enter the two shrines only if they submit an affidavit pledging their faith in Sanatan Dharma, asked what the panel would do in case of frequent VIP guests like actress Sara Ali Khan.
The Badrinath-Kedarnath Mandir Samiti has taken the stand that only those who belong to Sanatan Dharma will be allowed to enter the shrines and offer prayers there.
Talking to reporters in Kedarnath, Hemant Dwivedi, the president of the Samiti, told reporters on Wednesday: “We have issued a formal order to prevent the entry of non-Sanatanis to our temples because it leads to various complications.”
Asked what the Samiti planned to do in case of the VIPs and celebrities, including Sara, who annually visit Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, Dwivedi said: “We have clearly mentioned in our order that those non-Hindus who submit a written declaration that ‘I am a Sanatani; I believe in Hindutva’ are welcome here. VIPs from other religions can come here if they are willing to submit such an affidavit.”
“Our order is in view of the Char Dham Yatra (Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri), which is starting from April 19. Those who believe in Sanatan Dharma and Hinduism are considered as Sanatani,” Dwivedi added.
Sara, the daughter of actors Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, is a regular visitor to Kedarnath since her eponymous debut film in 2018. Her last visit documented on social media was in October last year. Posting several pictures and videos, Sara had written: “Jai Shree Kedar. The only place in the world that feels totally familiar and still leaves me awestruck and in wonder every single time. Only gratitude. Thank you for giving me everything that I have and making me everything that I am.”
Kedarnath, also starring the late Sushant Singh Rajput, was shot in Rudraprayag district. The film revolves around the blooming romance between Mandakini Mishra (played by Sara), a Hindu Brahmin, and Mansoor Khan (essayed by Sushant), a porter.
Since then, Sara has returned to Kedarnath several times. Her Instagram account documents her frequent visits to Hindu shrines across India and also to the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. Sara has often faced trolling from theRight-wing ecosystem over these visits.
Bollywood’s response to the questionable diktat on Wednesday was along predictable lines. While there was a stony silence in tinseltown, Kangana Ranaut, the actress and BJP MP known for her controversial and inflammatory comments, said in Delhi: “Everybody is a Sanatani. Whoever lives here is Sanatani. Sanatan is the truth. She (Sara) is also a Sanatani. Why should she have any anxiety about giving this in writing? Write it.”
Although Sara has not reacted to the diktat of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Mandir Samiti, she had in the past made it clear that nobody should be bothered about her religious practices.
Speaking at the Times Now Summit last year, Sara had said: “I was very young, in school, and even when my parents were married, and we used to travel abroad together, I used to always wonder… Amrita Singh, Saif Pataudi, Sara Sultana, Ibrahim Ali Khan — what is going on? Who are we? And I remember asking my mom, ‘What am I?’ And she told me, ‘You are Indian.’ I will never forget that.
“We are a secular nation, and I think that all these concepts, all these boundaries are made and manipulated by people. I don’t adhere to them. I just don’t give them the importance that others might. My personal trip to Kedarnath — with all due respect to anyone who likes it or hates it — is not about any of you. It’s about me. I feel comfortable there, I feel peaceful there, I feel happy there,” she added.
The management committees of Gangotri, Yamunotri and the sadhus of Haridwar have also issued orders to prevent non-Hindus from visiting these shrines.