‘Probe ordered into Kedarnath temple replica’

Uttarakhand tourism minister Satpal Maharaj has said that a probe has been launched into a Kedarnath temple’s replica that is being constructed in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah following objections raised by the state’s priests.

- HT Correspondent

The temple, named as Kedareshwar Mahadev, is built by the Kedareshwar Mahadev Etawah Temple Trust, and former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is the chief trustee. Yadav shared a video of the temple on his X account on July 14.

On Friday, Maharaj said, “The priests have written to the chief minister regarding the temple. The CM will take a decision on the matter... an inquiry is underway to assess how it has been built and what exactly has been constructed.”

The priests have threatened to stage a protest outside Yadav’s residence in Lucknow if the temple’s structure and name were not changed.

However, former CM and Haridwar MP Trivendra Singh Rawat said, “I have seen replicas of many temples. There is no need to protest over replicas.”