Swami Avimukteshwaranand Opposes Plans to Build Symbolic Kedarnath Temple in Delhi

Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, Swami Avimukteshwaranand, strongly opposed the plans to build a symbolic Kedarnath temple in Delhi saying that 12 Jyotirlingas have been mentioned in the Shiv Mahapuran with name and location, adding that when the address for Kedarnath is in the Himalayas, how can it be in Delhi?

“There cannot be a symbolic Kedarnath… 12 Jyotirlingas have been mentioned in the Shiv Puran, with name and location… When the address for Kedarnath is in the Himalayas, how can it be in Delhi?… There are political reasons behind this… Political people are entering our religious places… There is a gold scam in Kedarnath, why is that issue not raised? After doing a scam there, now Kedarnath will be built in Delhi? And then there will be another scam. 228kgs of gold is missing from Kedarnath… No inquiry has started. Who is responsible for this?… Now they are saying they will build a Kedarnath in Delhi, this cannot happen,” he said.

Swami Avimukteshwaranand alleged that 228 kg of gold was missing from Kedarnath. No inquiry has started. He questioned, “Who is responsible for this?”

“There is a gold scam in Kedarnath, why is that issue not raised? 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?… Now they are saying they will build a Kedarnath in Delhi, this cannot happen,” he said.

The Kedarnath temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, which are the most sacred Shiva shrines in India. It is located at an altitude of 3,584 meters above sea level in Uttarakhand. The temple was originally built in the 8th century AD by Jagad Guru Adi Shankaracharya and stands adjacent to the site of an even earlier temple built by the Pandavas.