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Kedarnath Temple trust head hits back at Shankaracharya over 'gold scam' claim
The Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee president refuted Swami Avimukteshwaranand's claims of a ‘gold scam’.
Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee president Ajendra Ajay rejected allegations made by Swami Avimukteshwaranand, Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, who claimed that 228 kg of gold were stolen from the Kedarnath Temple.
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Ajendra Ajay said the spiritual leader's statement on Kedarnath Temple had been very unfortunate. “I respect Swami Avimukteshwaranand but he keeps holding press conferences throughout the day...Stoking controversy, create sensationalism and being in the news is a habit of Swami Avimukteshwaranand,” the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee president told news agency ANI.
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According to Ajendra, the priest's comments on Kedarnath were part of a Congress agenda, and he urged the Swami to stop hurting the dignity of the Kedarnath Temple.
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Swami Avimukteshwaranand, while addressing the issue of the new temple in New Delhi, had claimed that there was a ‘gold scam’ in the existing Kedarnath Temple, which had not been investigated. He said, “After doing a scam there, now Kedarnath will be built in Delhi? And then there will be another scam. 228 kg of gold is missing from Kedarnath... No inquiry has started. Who is responsible for this?”
The temple trust president said these claims were baseless and if the Swami had any evidence, he should go through legal channels rather than creating controversy.
“I urge him as well as challenge him to bring to light facts and evidence. He should go to authorities, present then the evidence and demand an investigation. If he doesn't trust a capable authority, he should approach the Supreme Court, High Court, file a PIL and demand an investigation if he actually has evidence,” he added.
On July 15, Swami Avimukteshwaranand had sparked a row after he claimed that he opposed the building of a symbolic Kedarnath temple in the national capital.
“There cannot be a symbolic Kedarnath. 12 Jyotirlingas have been mentioned in the Shiv Puran with name and location. There are political reasons behind this, political people are entering our religious places,” Swami Avimukteshwaranand said.
Kedarnath is one of the four sacred Hindu shines of the Char Dham, including Badrinath, Gangotri and Yumonotri. On July 10, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami laid a foundation stone for a new Kedarnath temple in New Delhi, leading to several priests in the state protesting.
