NEW DELHI, July 3, 2013: Dwarka Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati has demanded that the Uttarakhand government ensure immediate "vidhiwat puja sanskar" (proper ritualistic worship) at Kedarnath shrine. 

"I am saddened that the panch-mukhi Shivling and shrine has not been cleaned and no puja offered there. The fact that the bhog murti (idol) is being worshipped in Ukhimat is unacceptable since its correct place is the Kedarnath shrine," Swaroopanand told TOI on Wednesday. 

The state government, the shankaracharya added, must expedite the cremation of all the bodies as per Hindu rituals, but this should not come in way of the puja at Kedarnath. "For Lord Shiva, shamshan and bodies are immaterial. The shrine should be allowed to be cleaned and pandits must begin worship immediately," the seer stressed. 

After the flashflood and the temple town's destruction, a team of Archaeological Survey of India officials visited the Kedarnath shrine. The Uttaranchal government's decision to consult the ASI over "rebuilding" the shrine has raised the hackles of several seers including Swami Swaroopanand. 

"In the name of restoration, the ASI would take over and even stop puja at the shrine. This is what it did with the Vishnu temple in Annupur district in MP," said Swaroopanand. 

The Kedarnath temple is managed by Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), which is in charge of the Badrinath shrine as well. Several of its members and functionaries are MLAs and representatives of the Uttaranchal government. 

"The rebuilding (of Kedarnath) can be done by the government but the most important thing is to ensure regular puja at the shrine," said Swami Swaroopanand.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 3, 2013.