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Radhe Maa sparks row, visits Har-ki-Pauri wearing shoes
Shoes are not allowed at Har-ki-Pauri. But Radhe Maa offered milk to the river as well as prayed at Brahmkund with shoes on.
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Radhe Maa is again in the news for a wrong reason. The self-styled god-woman visited Har-ki-Pauri, a famous ghat on the banks of the Ganga river in Haridwar, wearing sneakers on Saturday night, leaving the local priests furious.
Shoes are not allowed at Har-ki-Pauri. But Radhe Maa offered milk to the river as well as prayed at Brahmkund with shoes on.
An organisation of Haridwar-based priests, Yuva Teerth Purohit Mahasabha, has taken strong exception to the incident and said she would not be allowed to visit Har-ki-Pauri in future.
“Nobody enters Har-ki-Pauri with shoes on. Even President Pranab Mukherjee during his recent visit followed the rituals. Radhe Maa has hurt Hindu sentiments,” said Ujjawal Pundit, president of the mahasabha.
Wearing a red dress and red sneakers, Radhe Maa reached Har-ki-Pauri and later swayed to the tunes of devotional songs sung in her praise. “I am not God or saint. I am simply Radhe Maa. People should first respect their parents,” she said.
Radhe Maa, who often remains in the news for wrong reasons, was declared Mahamandleshwar, a top post in the hierarchy of sadhus by Juna Akhara during the 2010 Mahakumbh. She was later removed owing to controversy.
