After a video of a woman proposing to her boyfriend outside the Kedarnath temple went viral on social media, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee requested the police to keep the influencers, bloggers, YouTubers visiting the temple, under strict surveillance. Devotees were also asked to switch off their phones before entering the temple. The temple committee cited religious sentiments getting hurt, as the reason for the same.
This, however, is not the first case of objectionable activity witnessed in the temple premises. Last year, an influencer man had brought his dog inside the temple and had touched the idol of Bhagwan Nandi with its paw. That video got viral all over social media.
In another instance, a woman was seen blowing currency notes towards the Shivalinga inside the 'garbha-griha' of the temple, in a video shared shared on the internet.
But the woes of the authorities are not limited to just inside the temple. Last month, FIR was filed against horse operators when they appeared in another video, forcing a mule to inhale weed smoke through its nostrils, apparently to ensure that it could carry more weight, on Kedarnath Dham Yatra route. Hence, to ensure that all tourists and locals respect the culture, heritage and sactity of the temple and other religious places in the area, 'Operation Maryada' was launched by the Uttarakhand Police.
According to a statement by the Uttarakhand Police, fourteen cases of animal cruelty had been registered by the Rudraprayag Police during the Yatra.
While the influencer culture has brought faith and actual belief into questions, such instances of animal cruelty have come into limelight just because of social media too.
Amid all these events, the debate still remains on the topic whether increased use of social media in such holy places is justified or not.
What do you think? Share your views in the comments
Report by Saumya Singh
Graphics by Maitri Mittal
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