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• The Centre has asked the States of Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Odisha to take urgent steps to ensure that the ongoing Kedarnath Yatra and upcoming Amarnath Yatra and Rath Yatra are conducted in a manner so as to ensure high levels of cleanliness.

More on the news:

• The States have been requested to provide for sufficient numbers of public toilets for both men and women throughout the approach roads to the Shrines, and ensure that that they are kept clean, hygienic and usable at all times.
• All eateries along the approach roads will need to be sensitized about garbage collection, in-situ processing of the food waste through waste to compost/waste to bio-gas units in their premises, usage of bio-degradable cutlery and bags.
• The advisory suggests that plastics and SUPs should be stopped at the base-camp level for Kedarnath and Amarnath yatris at the time of registration itself.
• In order to prevent indiscriminate littering by visitors, segregated litter bins will have to be placed along the approach roads, along with regular emptying of the same.
• Most importantly, the advisory stresses on large scale people participation, whereby all local NGOs/ CSOs/ voluntary organisations, self-help groups from all villages and towns on the approach roads are to be identified, sensitized and tagged to work in designated area to ensure that cleanliness is maintained at every step.
• Local swachhata brand ambassadors are to be identified and designated for the ‘swachh yatra’, and spread the messages of cleanliness etc, to motivate visitors to behave responsibly and help in maintaining ‘swachhata’.
• Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban, being implemented by MoHUA, is committed to create “Garbage Free Cities” through comprehensive sanitation measures, and safe management of solid and liquid waste in all statutory towns in the country. Centers of Pilgrims and Heritage where the footfalls are higher are taken up on priority under the Mission.

Kedarnath:

• One of the most revered temple destinations of India, Kedarnath town is nestled in the mighty Garhwal Himalayas.
• The town, built around the revered Kedarnath temple, is located at an altitude of 3,580 m, near Chorabari glacier, which is the source of the Mandakini river.
• Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the ancient temple has exquisite architecture and is built of extremely large but evenly shaped grey stone slabs.
• A conical rock formation inside the temple is worshipped as Lord Shiva in his “Sadashiva” form.
• The Kedarnath temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is a part of Char Dham pilgrimage circuit, and is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva in India.
• The historical name of this region is "Kedar Khand" and legend says, the Pandavas from the epic Mahabharata, after having defeated the Kauravas, felt guilty of having killed so many people and sought the blessings of Lord Shiva for redemption

About Amarnath Temple:

• The holy shrine of Amarnath Ji, or Amarnath Temple, is located at an elevation of 3,888 meters approx, about 29 kilometers from Pahalgam.
• Inside the cave is a Shiva Lingam (a phallus shaped formation made of ice), considered to be the most holy symbol by Hindus all across the globe.
• Devotees visit it in large numbers from June to August, with the pilgrimage tour famously known as Amarnath Yatra, which begins from Chandanwari.
• It is considered to be one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, or the holiest shrines in Hinduism. Besides seeking blessings at the Amarnath Temple, the views surrounding it are extraordinary.

About Jagannath Temple:

• The Jagannath Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Sri Krishna in Puri in the state of Odisha on the eastern coast of India.
• The present temple was rebuilt from the 10th century onwards, on the site of an earlier temple, and begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
• The Puri temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three principal deities are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars.
• A rath is built for each of the three deities, Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balbhadra. Each houses the main deity along with nine others. Nine sages are also depicted on each chariot. These are meant to signify the nine planets in the universe. A rath can be recognised by its specific name, its colours, its charioteer, its horses and even the reins used to control them.
• Unlike the stone and metal icons found in most Hindu temples, the image of Jagannath (which gave its name to the English term ‘juggernaut’) is made of wood and is ceremoniously replaced every twelve or 19 years by an exact replica.
• This temple was called the “White Pagoda” and is a part of Char Dham pilgrimages (Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri, Rameswaram).
• There are four gates to the temple- Eastern ‘Singhdwara’ which is the main gate with two crouching lions, Southern ‘Ashwadwara’, Western ‘Vyaghra Dwara and Northern ‘Hastidwara’. There is a carving of each form at each gate.
• The Nilachakra – Or the Blue wheel perched on top of the temple is made of eight metals or asta dhatu
• In front of the entrance stands the Aruna stambha or sun pillar, which was originally at the Sun Temple in Konark.

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1830889

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