Murli Manohar Joshi criticises 'concerts, DJ events' at Badrinath

• BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi has objected to the DJ and concert-style performances at a cultural festival held near Badrinath, calling them a threat to the shrine’s sanctity.

• His remarks come amidst Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence at a ‘Bhajan Clubbing’ event in Delhi.

• The Army-backed Devbhoomi Cultural Festival, held on 19–20 September, has also faced criticism from seers and priests over loud music and dance performances near the shrine.

Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi has objected to a recent concert-style cultural event at Badrinath, saying allowing music and DJ performances at the holy site violates cultural decorum and undermines the sanctity of the shrine.

Joshi’s criticism — unintentionally or otherwise — comes in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence at a ‘Bhajan Clubbing’ programme in Delhi on Friday, 25 September, where he joined devotees listening to bhajans to mark the 110th birth anniversary of Sangh ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay, and described the format as a blend of devotion, culture, spirituality and modernity. Modi had also praised the trend earlier this year, calling such gatherings involving young people singing devotional songs "no less than global concerts".

The two-day Devbhoomi Cultural Festival was held on 19 and 20 September at the Tourist Arrival Plaza in Badrinath, with the Indian Army and Chamoli district administration organising the event under 'Operation Sadbhavana'. The festival was themed on ‘Our Heritage, Our Future’ and included cultural performances and live music. Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the concluding ceremony.

Reacting to the event, Joshi said in a post in Hindi on X, 'Granting permission for a music concert, a DJ event at Badrinath Dham is not only a violation of cultural decorum but also a direct assault on the sanctity of the holy shrine.'

He said Adi Guru Shankaracharya had established Badrinath Dham amid the Himalayan environment for the peaceful singing of hymns and devotion to the divine.

'It is noteworthy that even blowing a conch shell is prohibited at this location; yet, disregarding this, we organise loud musical events, blatantly disregarding Indian spiritual, cultural and environmental values, while also ignoring the adverse health effects caused by thousands of people dancing at such high altitudes,' Joshi said.

He said the event symbolised the growing influence of a 'baazaru sanskriti' or commercial culture in Devbhoomi.

Joshi urged the Centre and the Uttarakhand government to ban such events and uphold the sanctity of the region. He also appealed to followers of Indian culture, particularly shankaracharyas and other seers, to raise an 'effective voice' against what he described as the 'erosion of culture'.

'The Himalayas are divine, the abode of Lord Shankar and the source of Mother Ganga. Turning them into a hub of nightlife and revelry deals a severe blow to the faith of millions of Indians,' he said.

The event has also drawn criticism from seers and temple priests over the use of loud DJ music and dance performances near the Badrinath shrine.

The festival’s organisers, however, have described it as a celebration of Uttarakhand’s living heritage, featuring folk music, cultural performances, handicrafts and community activities.

With PTI inputs