Renowned film actress Sara Ali Khan, daughter of Saif Ali Khan, will have to submit an affidavit affirming her faith in ‘Sanatan Dharma’ to offer prayers at the Kedarnath shrine, where she has been a frequent visitor for the past few years.
This was stated by the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) chairman, Hemant Dwivedi, after the pilgrimage regulatory body decided not to allow non-Sanatan followers to enter temples under its affiliation.
Responding to a question about the Bollywood actress, Dwivedi said, “Non-Sanatanis (non-Hindus) would be prohibited from entering all temples under the BKTC’s jurisdiction during the upcoming Char Dham pilgrimage. Anyone who has faith and belief in Sanatan Dharma is a Sanatani. If Sara Ali Khan comes to offer prayers at Kedarnath Dham, she will have to submit an affidavit affirming her faith in Sanatan.”
According to the BKTC chief, the committee will release a format of the affidavit to be filled out by non-Sanatan followers seeking entry into Badrinath, Kedarnath and nearly 45 other temples across the state.
Sara Ali Khan has been a frequent visitor to the Kedarnath temple to pay obeisance almost every year. She has publicly spoken about experiencing peace and spiritual bliss during her visits to Kedarnath. Her association with the shrine gained prominence after the release of her 2018 Hindi film “Kedarnath”, in which she starred opposite the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Dwivedi further informed that the BKTC will also frame a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to regulate the decisions taken by it.
In another important decision, the BKTC has banned carrying cameras within a 100-metre radius of the sanctum sanctorum of temples under its jurisdiction.
Although the BKTC functions as a pilgrimage regulatory body for the Badrinath and Kedarnath temples, the state government has not yet approved these decisions. However, when contacted, state tourism department officials said the BKTC is an autonomous body and can take its own decisions. Officials said the BKTC can implement its decisions without any consent from the state government.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, in a statement, said that similar norms followed at other temples in the country will be studied before taking a final call.