Bodies of Uttarakhand flood victims should be cremated with proper Vedic rituals: Ramdev

flames with proper Vedic rituals,” the yoga guru said.

He also announced that the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust will

set up a ‘sevashram’ at Narayankothi for disaster-hit shelter

less women and orphaned children to help them get back on

their feet.The Patnajali Sevashram will be inaugurated by the yoga guru tomorrow at Narayakothi where a Yagya will also be

conducted for peace to the departed souls,Patanjali Yogpeeth

sources said.

Echoing Ramdev, Govardhan Peeth Puri Shankaracharya Swami Adhokchajanand also objected to the treatment the bodies in the affected areas in the aftermath of the tragedy.

“No indignity should be meted out to the bodies of

hapless people killed in the calamity. They should be cremated

with proper Hindu rituals,” he said. He said it was unjustified to raise questions over the inherited rights of Rawal priests to perform Puja at Kedarnath shrine.

“Rawals traditionally enjoy the rights of performing Puja

at the Himalayan shrine. They were given the rights by the Adi

Shankaracharya. Raising questions over it is an insult to Adi

Shankaracharya,” he said.

Swami Adhokchajanand had recently demanded that the

Himalayas be declared an ecologically conserved zone and a

separate Pilgrimage Ministry be set up at the Centre to run

the affairs of the revered Hindu temples in high altitudes

like Badrinath,Kedarnath and Amarnath.