Photography, Videography banned in Kedarnath Dham temple, violators to face legal consequences

Digital desk: Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee decided on Monday that photography and filming are completely prohibited inside the premises of the Kedarnath Temple.

Additionally, the temple committee has placed notices throughout the premises of the Kedarnath Temple informing tourists that if they are caught taking photos or videos, legal action will be taken against them.

Boards are placed in several parts of the temple premises which read, "Do not enter the temple premises with mobile phones; any kind of photography and videography is strictly prohibited inside the temple and you are under the surveillance of CCTV cameras.”

In an interview with ANI, the president of the Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, Ajay Ajendra, stated that the Kedarnath Dham pilgrims have also been advised to dress modestly and that these instructions have been made in response to certain obscene behavior that has been earlier reported. And even some visitors had been caught recording and taking illegal pictures within the temple.

This prohibition was put in place by the temple committee due to the purported indecent behavior of certain pilgrims which hurt the sentiments of devotees. According to the President of the Temple Committee, warning signs have also been put up at Kedarnath to ensure that the rules are followed carefully.

Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) wrote to the Kedarnath Dham Police asking for a restriction on filming in the vicinity of the temple after a popular YouTuber was seen in a popular video proposing to her boyfriend near the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand. In the letter, BKTC requested that Kedarnath Dham Police closely monitor the area around the Temple and take legal action against anyone posting films, shorts, or reels to YouTube or Instagram to avoid such repeated incidents.

According to the temple committee, making such reels or recordings on the premises hurts the place's holy spirituality. The temple committee has requested that the authorities take action against the individuals responsible for these videos.