Photography banned inside Kedarnath Temple; violators to face legal consequences

Temple Committee bans photography/videography inside Kedarnath Temple premises. Warning signs posted, legal action against those taking pictures/recordings. Pilgrims urged to dress modestly. Ban imposed after wrong message sent due to indecent behaviour of certain pilgrims. BKTC wrote to Police seeking ban on making videos around temple area. Debate broke out after girl proposed to boyfriend near temple, video went viral. BKTC takes tough stand, asks Police to take action against those making videos/reels to maintain religious sanctity.

Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee on July 17 announced a complete prohibition of photography and videography inside Kedarnath Temple premises.

The temple committee has also posted warning signs throughout the Kedarnath Temple premises, advising visitors that if they are seen taking pictures or recordings, legal action will be taken against them.

Boards are put up in several places 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'.

Speaking to ANI, President of Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee Ajay Ajendra said that the pilgrims visiting the Kedarnath Dham have also been urged to dress modestly, and said that these guidelines have been released in light of certain obscene behaviour reported in the past.

"Pilgrims to Kedarnath have been urged to dress modestly. In the past, some pilgrims had been caught filming and taking photos indecently inside the temple," Ajay Ajendra told ANI.

The temple committee imposed this ban after a “wrong message was sent due to the purported indecent behaviour of certain pilgrims”. Warning boards have also been installed at Kedarnath to implement the guidelines strictly, said the Temple Committee President.

Earlier this month, following the viral video in which a girl was seen proposing to her boyfriend near Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand, Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) wrote to Kedarnath Dham Police seeking a ban on making videos around the temple area. In the letter, BKTC asked Kedarnath Dham Police to keep strictly monitor the area around the Temple and take action against those making YouTube shorts/videos/Instagram reels to ensure any such incident is not repeated.