Badrinath-Kedarnath Committee To Ban Non-Hindus From Entering Dham And Other Temples

Last Updated:January 26, 2026, 1:16 PM IST

Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) announced that non-Hindus will be barred from entering Badrinath–Kedarnath Dham and other temples under its control.

Kedarnath, Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand (PTI)

The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) on Monday announced that non-Hindus will be barred from entering Badrinath–Kedarnath Dham and other temples under its control.

Only Hindus will now be allowed to enter the centuries-old Badrinath and Kedarnath temples in Uttarakhand. The temple panel announced that non-Hindus will be barred from entering the two temples, part of the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit.

A proposal regarding the decision will be passed in the upcoming temple committee board meeting.

Confirming the development, BKTC president Hemant Dwivedi stated that the entry for non-Hindus will be prohibited in all temples under the temple committee.

Meanwhile, the gates of the Badrinath temple in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand will reopen for devotees on April 23, following a six-month winter closure, temple officials announced on Friday.

Dwivedi said that the auspicious date and time for the reopening were determined after traditional prayers and rituals at the Tehri Royal Palace in Narendra Nagar, Tehri district, on the occasion of Basant Panchami.

Notably, besides Kedarnath and Badrinath, the other two shrines that are part of the Chota Char Dham include Gangotri and Yamunotri. Their gates will be reopened on April 19 on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya.

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