Madhurima
VARANASI: Sara Ali Khan, the Bollywood newbie has become a part of a new controversy, yet again. The actress visited the sacred Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanashi which has sent all the local saints and pandits into outrage.
The actress was shooting for the film 'Atrangi Re' in Mumbai and took the opportunity to visit the temple and also participated in the traditional 'Ganga Aarti' on 15 March 2020 i.e. Monday.
Sara's mother, actress Amrita Singh was also present with her.
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The Kashi Samiti from the area has called out her actions and raised objections as to why the actress visited a religious place meant for Hindus as it's not her religion.
The secretary of the Samiti, Chandra Shekhar Kapoor has said, "The actor's visit to the temple is against traditions and established norms. It also raises questions on the security of the temple when there is a signboard clearly stating that the entry of 'non-Hindus' is prohibited."
The secretary also blamed the priests of the area who broke the rules as they probably received a hefty offering and also free publicity.
Khan took to Instagram to post about her visit to the temple and is seen introducing people to 'Banaras ki galiyaan' (streets of Banaras) and various shops within the location.
The Samiti is now demanding strict action to be taken against the actress and the ones responsible for her visit. The local pandits and seers residing in the area are also upset over her participating in the religious 'Ganga Aarti'.
Rakesh Mishra, a priest expressed, "Though we appreciate her interest in the Hindu religion the fact remains that she is a Muslim and should not have participated in the rituals. For her, all this could be 'interesting and exciting' but for us, it is a matter of religious piety."
However, another priest by the name of Amarnath Bajpai had some different opinions. He said that the actress was accompanied by her mother Amrita Singh, who is a Hindu.
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Siddu Tiwari, who is a local tour operation of the area also defended the actress in the incident as he said, "Any person, including Sara, can visit a temple if they believe in the deity. The 'Ganga aarti' is attended by thousands of foreigners who are non-Hindus too. People are only looking for publicity by making an issue out of this. In fact, we should be happy that Sara has given so much publicity to our temple and 'aarti'."
