UP: Safai’s Kedareshwar temple stirs row

Lucknow: A growing religious and political controversy has engulfed Uttar Pradesh’s Saifai, the native village of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, over the construction of a new temple named Kedareshwar Mahadev Dham.

Leading Hindu seer groups have strongly objected to the temple’s design, claiming it is a replica of the revered Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand and undermines the sanctity of one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Sanatan Dharma.

The Char Dham Teerth Purohit Mahapanchayat, Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, and other major religious organisations have alleged that the project is an attempt to politicise religious symbolism ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. They argue that reproducing Kedarnath’s iconic design in a politically significant region blurs the line between devotion and electoral strategy.

“This is not just architecture—it’s an emotional and spiritual heritage,” said Suresh Semwal, President of the Char Dham Teerth Purohit Mahapanchayat. “We welcome Shiva temples everywhere, but copying Kedarnath’s garbhagriha (sanctum) and structure insults the original’s sacred identity.”

Brijesh Sati, the Mahapanchayat’s General Secretary, highlighted that previous attempts to replicate Kedarnath temples in Delhi and Telangana were abandoned after backlash. “Even the Uttarakhand government has taken a clear stand—its Cabinet passed a resolution on July 18, 2024, warning against unauthorised use of Char Dham names or designs,” he said.

Mahant Ravindrapuri, President of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad and head of the Mansa Devi Temple Trust, accused Akhilesh Yadav of deliberately stoking religious sentiment. “If he wants to build a temple, let it be with a new identity. Don’t steal Kedarnath’s form to score political points,” he said.

The Kedareshwar Mahadev Dham is being constructed along the sacred Shiva Aksha Rekha—an imaginary spiritual line connecting major Shiva shrines from Kedarnath to Rameshwaram—and is scheduled for inauguration on Maha Shivratri, February 15, 2026.

Amid the outcry, the temple’s chief architect, Moadhu Botta Yadav, has come forward to clarify that the temple is not a replica but an original creation influenced by multiple traditions.

“Yes, we drew inspiration from Kedarnath, but this is no replica,” Botta said. “Our temple includes four South Indian-style gopurams—tall ornate gateways—that Kedarnath does not have. It’s a fusion of north and south Indian styles.”

He also pointed out several unique features: a jal kund, a 200-pillared circumambulatory corridor, and a Nandi statue — inspired by Karnataka’s Chamundeshwari temple — that faces away from the sanctum, unlike Kedarnath, where Nandi directly faces the deity.