A few days ago, Noida-based blogger Vikash Tyagi took his pet dog, Nawab, to the holy Kedarnath temple where currently several devotees are present as a part of their Char Dham Yatra. In a video that went viral, Vikash held two paws of the doggo and made them touch the statue of ‘Nandi’ outside the Kedarnath temple and a priest was seen putting a tilak on the pet dog, reported NDTV.
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However, as the video widely circulated, the Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee on Wednesday reportedly demanded strict action against Vikash Tyagi. They claimed that the video hurt the religious sentiments of people. According to ABP, an FIR has been lodged against him by the committee’s CEO.
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Responding to the issue, Vikash revealed that he has been travelling with his husky to religious places for the past 4 years now. “So why this drama now?” he asks.
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He urged people to make India a pet-friendly country.
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They even questioned how is it “shameful” for a dog to visit a temple. It was also stressed that animals are also a face of god and that god belongs to every living creature.
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Amid the backlash that the family of the dog received, several people online raised their voices in their support. Many highlighted how in our culture, we worship animals. So how is it a crime to take an animal to a place of worship?
@AjendraAjay A dog is compelled as bhairava, who was the 5th face of lord shiva.And kedarnath is also a temple associated to lord shiva,people are criticising the god’s 5th face to take blessing from the lord.
— shantanu chaturvedi (@shantanuchatu11) May 20, 2022
What’s wrong in taking a dog to a temple of Pashupati himself?? This hypocrisy of Religious leaders is what I hate!! Infact the priest should be booked for defamation … Kudos to the man who treats his Dog as an equal life.. #KedarnathTemple #Kedarnathhttps://t.co/53SVwL2wuY pic.twitter.com/7DnigKruR1
— Viral Thaker (@vrlthaker) May 20, 2022
What are your views on this issue?