Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], January 27 : The Chairman of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, Hemant Dwivedi, on Tuesday defended banning the entry of non-Hindus in the Shri Badrinath and Kedarnath Dhams, saying that the proposal is being tabled to maintain the sanctity of the temples.
Speaking to ANI, he said the committee plans to submit a proposal to ban the entry of all non-Hindus to all 46 temples under the Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC).
"Administrators and priests of all major temples in the state believed that to maintain the sanctity of the temples, a ban on the entry of non-Hindus needed to be imposed. In the upcoming meeting of the BKTC, we are going to bring a proposal for all the 46 temples that come under the jurisdiction of the BKTC, banning the entry of non-Hindus... As per the Constitution, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists are a part of Hinduism..." he stated.
Earlier on Monday, Dwivedi asserted that these shrines are not tourist destinations but the supreme spiritual centres of Sanatan traditions. Hence, the issue of non-Hindu entry to these sites is a matter of religious faith, he added.
"Shri Kedarnath Dham and Shri Badrinath Dham are not tourist destinations. They are the supreme spiritual centres of Sanatan traditions. The question of entry here is not a matter of civil rights, but rather a matter of religious faith," Dwivedi said.
He apprised of bringing forward a proposal to completely ban anyone who does not have faith in Sanatan Dharma.
"We have not implemented any new rule. Our pilgrimage priests, our stakeholders, and the saint community believe that the entry of non-Hindus should be prohibited at these religious institutions, centres of religious faith. They should be completely banned from here, and in our upcoming board meeting, we will be bringing forward a proposal to completely ban anyone who does not have faith and belief in Sanatan Dharma, who does not believe in Mother Ganga, who does not have faith in Baba Kedar, who does not have faith in Lord Badrinath, from this area," Dwivedi said.
"All 48 of our temples under the Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Dham, which include the two main shrines of Shri Kedarnath and Shri Badrinath, and 46 other temples, including Panch Kedar, Panch Badri, Ukhimath, Kalimath, Triyuginarayan, Bhavishya Badri, Narsingh Temple, all our religious institutions and temples, this ban will be fully implemented in all of them," he added.
Meanwhile, the hallowed portals of the Badrinath Dham will reopen to devotees on April 23, Manujendra Shah, the current titular Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal, said on Friday.
The gates of Badrinath Dham were closed for the winter season on November 25, 2025.
Badrinath is one of the holiest shrines for Vaishnavites among the 108 Divya Desams and is also part of the Panch Badri temples, which include Yog Dhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Adi Badri and Vriddha Badri.
The Badrinath temple, approximately 50 feet tall, features a small cupola topped with a gold-gilt roof. The shrine is divided into the Garbha Griha (sanctum sanctorum), Darshan Mandap and Sabha Mandap. The Garbha Griha houses idols of Lord Badari Narayan, Kuber, Narad Rishi, Udhava, Nar, and Narayan, for a total of 15 idols in the complex. Opposite the main idol, the seated idol of Garud, the vehicle of Lord Badarinath, is placed in a prayer posture.