Devotees Offer Clothes To Yamuna, Raising Environmental Concerns At Yamunotri In Uttarakhand

Uttarkashi: Devotees at Yamunotri Dham in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand have started offering colourful garments and clothing into the Yamuna River, raising a new issue for the administration and a serious environmental concern.

Officials and the temple management have said that the practice was polluting the sacred waters of the Yamuna right from its source. They have also appealed to devotees to respect the river by refraining from casting clothes and other materials into it.

“The faith of devotees arriving at Yamunotri Dham to seek the blessings of Mother Yamuna is increasingly becoming a cause for environmental concern,” said temple representatives. “Heaps of discarded clothing washed ashore by the river’s current have accumulated along the banks, spoiling the natural beauty and purity of the water,” Temple committee spokesperson Purushottam Uniyal said.

He said that there was a need to align faith with cleanliness and environmental conservation.

“Instead of offering their donations at the temple, devotees are casting materials directly into the river, where they accumulate as waste along the banks,” Purushottam added.

The temple representative said that despite repeated appeals by the priestly community and Char Dham pilgrimage personnel, the practice of offering clothes and clothing continues.

The temple spokespersons Purushottam, Suresh Uniyal, Manoj Uniyal, and Mahavir Panwar warn that without concrete measures, preserving the pristine flow of Mother Yamuna will become increasingly difficult. “The administration must enforce strict regulations and launch effective awareness campaigns; otherwise, we will lose the glory of the Mother Yamuna,” they said in a unanimous appeal.

Brijesh Kumar Tiwari, president of the Yamunotri Temple Committee and sub-divisional magistrate, admitted the environmental hazard due to the practice of unusual offerings, but he linked it to devotees’ religious faith. “In view of its adverse effects, concrete efforts will be undertaken, in collaboration with the District Panchayat and relevant agencies, to maintain the cleanliness of the Yamuna,” he said.

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