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Uttarakhand Temple Row: Locals Clash and Protest Against Shani Temple in Nainital
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News18•10-10-2026, 15:24
Uttarakhand Temple Row: Locals Clash and Protest Against Shani Temple in Nainital
- •A fierce controversy has erupted in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand over the construction of a Shani temple at the sacred Chitrashila Dham.
- •The Pahadi Army organization claims that outsiders built the Shani temple by encroaching on land and blocking the darshan of the sacred rock of Devi Mata Jiya Rani.
- •Locals and historians argue that the Shani temple contradicts mountain traditions and has compromised the integrity of the ancient Chitreshwar Temple.
- •The Shani Temple Committee has denied all allegations of encroachment while initial administrative investigations have deemed the structure illegal.
Key Questions Answered
A controversy arose between the Pahadi Army and the Shani Temple Committee over allegations of illegal encroachment by a newly constructed Shani temple, which locals claim blocked the sacred rock view and compromised the historical Jiya Rani cave and Chitreshwar Temple.
Locals and the Pahadi Army argue that mountain temple traditions feature local folk deities rather than Shani temples, and claim that the newly built structure covers the original principal deity's temple, altering the site's authentic identity.
The Pahadi Army staged a fierce protest regarding the Shani temple dispute on August 29, 2026, which led to police registering an FIR and arresting some individuals.
