The Rishikesh mayor talking about Shahi Snan at Rishikesh during the Kumbh Mela stirred up objections from some members of the religious fraternity. The issue was settled later after the intervention of the cabinet minister and members of the religious fraternity
On the weekend, the Rishikesh mayor Anita Sharma addressed the media and later shared her views on the social media. She said that she had requested the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and Kumbh Mela administration that there should be a Shahi Snan at Rishikesh too.
In response to this, the administration had approved the Shahi Snans at the places sought, she had claimed. However, this elicited strong objections from some members of the religious fraternity and the Ganga Sabha. The cabinet minister Madan Kaushik had to intervene and pacify the ruffled tempers.
Ganga Sabha general secretary Tanmay Vashisht said that he had come to know from media reports about the Rishikesh mayor talking about a Shahi Snan at Rishikesh during the 2021 Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. Objecting to this, he said that according to the scriptures and religious beliefs, Kumbh Mela is organised only in four places.
And in Haridwar, this event takes place only at Har ki Paidi Brahmakund because the drop of nectar –Amrit is believed to have fallen at Har ki Paidi. For centuries, the Shahi Snans of all the Akhadas and followers of Sanathan Dharma have been taking the holy dip during the Kumbh Mela as per traditions. No one has the right to play with the Sanatan faith. If any person or the government itself plays with the faith, then it will be strongly opposed, he said.
Vasishth further said that the the date and place of Shahi Snan is decided by the Ganga Sabha and Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad (ABAP). The State Government and Mela administration are responsible only for manging the crowds and events, he added.
The ABAP president Narendra Giri said that apart from Har ki Paidi Brahmakund, it is not possible to take a Shahi Snan anywhere else during the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.