BJP Veteran Murli Manohar Joshi Demands Ban on Badrinath Shrine Concert

Current Summary

According to a September 25 report by The Hindu, a further National Herald report, a September 26 Indian Express report, a September 27 Rediff report, a September 27 ThePrint report, a September 27 PTI report, a September 28 ETV Bharat report, and a September 29 New Indian Express report, veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi has criticised a concert-style 'Bhajan Jamming' event organised by the Indian Army at Badrinath shrine, calling it a violation of the shrine's cultural traditions and religious sanctity. The event, officially named the Devbhoomi Cultural Festival, was held on September 19-20, 2026 under 'Operation Sadbhavana' and the 'Vibrant Village' scheme. The controversial performance was by Uttarakhand singer Priyanka Meher, whose amplified set circulated widely on social media. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the second day as chief guest. Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar issued a show-cause notice to the Commanding Officer of the Garhwal Scouts over the lack of prior permission, and the local administration deleted its own social media posts about the festival. Army sources have disputed comparisons to a rave party, saying there was no DJ and performers were local artists. Kumar has now directed that religious and cultural programmes near Badrinath and other sensitive sites will require prior administrative permission going forward. Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj has since entered the debate, saying it is incorrect to claim the conch is not blown in Badrinath — it is not used during puja inside the temple but is used outside — a remark that has further angered the Uttarakhand Chardham Teerth Purohit Mahapanchayat. Maharaj has since elaborated, citing a local belief about animal bones as the reason conches are not sounded inside the temple during worship, and comparing the festival's music to a military bagpipe band that plays before the deity when the temple opens and closes each season, as well as to past cultural programmes at Urvashi Peeth and traditional drumming at weddings in Mana village. Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana has since rebutted Maharaj directly, saying a conch is the shell of a marine mollusc rather than bone, is primarily made of calcium carbonate, and questioning the religious basis of Maharaj's claim given the centuries-old use of conches in Hindu worship. The Chamoli administration's notice to the Garhwal Scouts has widened the dispute to include questions of permission and responsibility for the sound system used. A September 29 report by The Statesman states a state minister has publicly refuted reports that a ban has been imposed on the Badrinath concert-style event.

What Changed

• 30 Sept, 01:22 am
  A Uttarakhand government minister has publicly refuted reports that a ban has been imposed on the concert-style music event held at Badrinath shrine, according to a September 29 report by The Statesman.
• 30 Sept, 01:11 am
  Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana has rebutted tourism minister Satpal Maharaj's explanation that a conch is not blown inside Badrinath temple because it is 'made of bone,' saying a conch is instead the shell of a marine mollusc, an exoskeleton primarily made of calcium carbonate, and questioning the religious basis of Maharaj's claim given the centuries-old use of conches in Hindu worship.
• 30 Sept, 12:22 am
  Minister Satpal Maharaj elaborated on his conch remarks, citing a local belief about animal bones as the reason conch shells are not sounded during worship inside the Badrinath temple, a comment that drew further objections from priests already critical of the September 19-20 festival. He argued music has a place in Badrinath, pointing to a military bagpipe band that plays when the temple opens and closes for the season, and citing past cultural programmes at Urvashi Peeth and traditional wedding drumming in nearby Mana village as precedent. The Chamoli district administration's notice to the Garhwal Scouts commanding officer has widened the dispute to also examine questions of prior permission and responsibility for the loud sound system used at the festival.
• 29 Sept, 11:12 pm
  Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj entered the Badrinath concert controversy, telling reporters it is incorrect to say the conch is not blown in Badrinath, saying the conch is not used during puja inside the temple but is used outside it — a comment that further angered the Uttarakhand Chardham Teerth Purohit Mahapanchayat, according to a September 28 ETV Bharat report.
• 29 Sept, 08:31 pm
  PTI reports Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar has directed that religious and cultural programmes near Badrinath and other sensitive sites will now require prior administrative permission, a direct response to the backlash over the Army's unauthorised 'Bhajan Jamming' event at the shrine.
• 29 Sept, 03:41 pm
  The Chamoli district administration has distanced itself from the Dev Bhoomi Cultural Festival it earlier backed, issuing a formal notice to the Army asking why the event was organised in the Badrinath Dham area without prior permission. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had attended the second day of the festival as chief guest. Following the backlash, the local administration deleted its own social media posts about the festival. District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said the Army had organised the programme under the 'Vibrant Village' scheme in Bamni and Mana villages. Army sources said there was no DJ at the event and that the singers were local performers, disputing comparisons of the festival to a rave party.
• 29 Sept, 03:31 pm
  Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar has issued a show-cause notice to the Commanding Officer of the Garhwal Scouts, stating that organising high-decibel sound events at Badrinath Dham is contrary to the shrine's sanctity and tarnishes the local administration's image. The notice directs that no such event recur at Badrinath Dham in future. An Army spokesperson declined to comment, saying an official statement would be issued once ready.
• 26 Sept, 07:22 pm
  The Chamoli district administration has banned, with immediate effect, events near Badrinath Dham and other religious sites that use high-frequency sound systems, following the backlash over the September 19-20 Devbhoomi Cultural Festival. District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar has made prior permission from the local Sub-Divisional Magistrate mandatory for any event near religious and cultural sites in the district, including Badrinath Dham, with no other department authorised to grant such permission. Officials have been directed to ensure compliance, with legal action to follow against violators. Ashutosh Dimri, president of Teerth Shri Badri Dham Dharmic Panchayat, said future programmes should instead feature bhajan sandhyas or traditional religious performances.
• 26 Sept, 08:11 am
  The Indian Express reports the performance that triggered the controversy was by Uttarakhand singer Priyanka Meher, whose amplified set closed the festival's first day on September 19. The report also notes priests and religious figures, beyond Murli Manohar Joshi, have objected to the loud music and dance performances held near the shrine.
• 26 Sept, 06:00 am
  The Devbhoomi Cultural Festival at Badrinath, organised by the Indian Army and Chamoli district administration under 'Operation Sadbhavana', has also drawn criticism from local seers and priests over loud music and dance performances near the shrine, according to a National Herald report. The report notes Joshi's criticism comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a 'Bhajan Clubbing' event in Delhi on September 25 marking the 110th birth anniversary of Sangh ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay, an event Modi described as blending devotion, culture, spirituality and modernity, and had earlier likened to global concerts.
• 26 Sept, 05:01 am
  Signal detected: BJP Veteran Murli Manohar Joshi Demands Ban on Badrinath Shrine Concert

Background

Badrinath, one of the four Char Dham shrines, follows strict traditional codes of conduct, including restrictions on loud instruments such as conch shells, reflecting its status as a site for quiet Vedic worship established by Adi Guru Shankaracharya.