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Sep 24, 2026
Avinash Brahmbhatt

Akshardham at 24: When Bollywood turned a Terror Attack into a ‘Balanced’ Morality Play

It was 4:45 p.m. on 24 September 2002. A white car stopped near Gate 3 of Swaminarayan Akshardham in Gandhinagar. Two-armed terrorists got out carrying automatic weapons and grenades. When security volunteers tried to stop them, they jumped the fence and began firing at visitors. Within minutes, they had moved towards the main monument, throwing grenades and shooting at pilgrims. Temple volunteers immediately warned those inside. The doors of the main monument and exhibition halls were shut. The attackers missed entering the main monument by mere seconds. They then forced their way into Exhibition Hall 1 and opened fire on men, women and children. Volunteers, police and security personnel evacuated hundreds of devotees. Later that night, the National Security Guard (NSG) was flown in from Delhi. The counter-terror operation, officially known as Operation Vajra Shakti, continued through the night. By the morning of 25 September, both terrorists had been killed. Thirty Hindu devotees and three security personnel lost their lives. The dead included a Sadhu, temple volunteers, ordinary Hindu visitors, two three-year-old girls and a four-year-old boy. NSG commando Suresh Chand Yadav died after closing in on one of the terrorists and killing him at close range. He was later awarded the Ashoka Chakra posthumously. This was not some abstract “cycle of violence”. It was a terrorist attack on a Hindu temple filled with pilgrims. Twenty-four years later, the question is how popular culture rewrites it. Bollywood and the Terror Story Hindi cinema has returned to terrorism again and again. Roja (1992) and Fiza (2000) placed militancy and radicalisation inside personal stories. Black Friday (2004) reconstructed the 1993 serial Bombay blasts. Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008) examined the aftermath of the 2006 Mumbai train blasts. The Attacks of 26/11 (2013) recreated parts of the Mumbai massacre when terrorists struck several locations in Mumbai. The State of Siege franchise first dealt with 26/11 and then, in 2021, turned to Akshardham. The larger problem begins when “creative liberty” does more than compress time or invent dialogue. It begins when fiction changes the moral structure of a real atrocity. That is exactly where State of Siege: Temple Attack (2021) becomes troubling. From a Massacre to a Hostage Thriller The real Akshardham attack involved two-armed fidayeen. The film turns them into four terrorists. More importantly, it invents an entire hostage-bargain plot in which the attackers demand the release of imprisoned terrorist Bilal Naikoo. That portrayal gives no justice to the real Akshardham attack. In reality 33 dead and more than 85 injured were all Hindus. This is not a small cinematic adjustment. It changes the nature of the event. A mass-casualty assault on a Hindu religious complex becomes a Bollywood hostage-rescue thriller. Then the film shifts emotional attention away from the real victims. Akshaye Khanna's Major Hanut Singh is given an invented earlier mission, the death of a fellow officer and a personal redemption story. Even contemporary reviewers noticed that this fictional backstory occupied space and time that could have been used to tell viewers more about the real attack and its victims. The “Balancing” Act - Whitewashing Radical Islamic Terrorism The most revealing distortions in the film are not about guns or action scenes. They are about religious identity. The film invents Mohsin, a Muslim employee of the Hindu temple, and gives him one of the movie's biggest moral moments. He confronts the terrorists, separates his religion from their interpretation of jihad, and explains that Hindus come to temples for the same human reasons that Muslims visit mosques. He becomes one of the film's moral heroes. There is also Captain Abrar Khan, a Muslim NSG commando placed firmly on the heroic side who dies while saving the Hindu pilgrims. The question is: why invent these particular fictional characters in a film built around a real Hindu massacre, while so many actual Hindu victims, volunteers and security personnel who sacrificed their lives while saving pilgrims remain faceless? Even mainstream reviews have called out this blatant propaganda in the film. Hindustan Times said the makers tried to strike a balance by introducing ‘good Muslims’ and a ‘traitorous Hindu’. NDTV also highlighted the Muslim temple employee and the Muslim member of the NSG team. NRI Pulse independently criticised the same socio-political agenda employed by the film. Who helps the Terrorists? A Hindu Father That brings us to Harilal, whose son Chintu is trapped inside during the attack. The terrorists threaten the child and force Harilal to pass information about NSG movements over the telephone. The NSG commando catches him and calls him a ‘Gaddar’. What a choice of an epithet to describe a Hindu father who is himself a victim of terrorism! In a story based on radical Islamic terrorists attacking Hindu devotees at a Hindu temple, the screenplay invents Muslim characters who reject the terrorists morally and physically, while simultaneously inventing a Hindu civilian who ends up compromising the security operation and is labelled as a traitor. That symmetry did not come from Akshardham. The writers created it. When the Victim must prove his Secularism State of Siege exposes a recurring narrative impulse in mainstream Hindi cinema. When a story around a terror attack involves Islamist extremism, filmmakers can become so anxious about appearing prejudiced that the original atrocity is surrounded by additional moral reassurance. A Muslim character must explicitly reject the terrorists. Another must become a hero. A Hindu character must betray his own people. Move the conversation from the victims to communal harmony. Then finish with a lecture explaining that hatred, rather than a specific extremist ideology, is the real enemy. Bollywood has repeated this formula ad nauseam. This is the cinematic version of a dialogue popularised by the movie My Name Is Khan (2010) - “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist.” But that principle cannot become a cover-up to dismiss the ideological and religious inclination of the terrorists. Bollywood often seems uncomfortable acknowledging Hindu victims and portraying an act of terror for what it stands for - the butchering of Hindus. Ironically, the film industry seems far more comfortable avoiding a direct acknowledgement of the role of radical Islamist terrorism behind such heinous acts. When Victims become Supporting Characters Historical records show repeated acts of terrorism against Hindu religious sites and pilgrims, from the Raghunath Temple attacks and Akshardham to Ayodhya, Sankat Mochan and attacks on Amarnath pilgrims. Even Parliament's records from 2002 listed attacks on Akshardham and Raghunath Mandir among the country's major terrorist incidents. What happened inside Akshardham on 24 September 2002: two-armed fidayeen entered a Hindu religious complex, opened fire on Hindus while our security forces fought against them through the night. That history is powerful enough. It does not need carefully crafted secular arithmetic and balancing. The real heroes were already there. The real victims were already there. What the film missed was the truth and the conviction to tell the story of the attack as it actually happened. Peace, if it is to mean anything, must begin with the courage to tell the truth honestly, without manipulation and agendas. On the 24th anniversary of the Akshardham terrorist attack, this is the lesson that the Bollywood fraternity should learn. References https://www.baps.org/News/2002/Homage-to-Departed-Souls-1810.aspx?page=3 https://nsg.gov.in/resources/uploads/PageContentPdf/171171247035.pdf https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/state-of-siege-temple-attack-review-reeks-of-staleness-despite-akshaye-khannas-efforts-2-stars-out-of-5-2482589 https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/state-of-siege-temple-attack-review-this-akshaye-khanna-starrer-action-thriller-has-no-thrills https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/state-of-siege-temple-attack-review-akshaye-khanna-shines-in-a-loosely-written-film-7397043/lite/ https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/state-of-siege-temple-attack-movie-review-akshaye-khanna-s-zee5-thriller-is-stuck-in-a-bygone-era-101625812271230-amp.html https://nripulse.com/state-of-siege-akshaye-khanna-is-riveting-in-fictionalized-version-of-akshardham-temple-attack/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AKMti5JbGs&t=20s

Sep 23, 2026
Kush Rana & Aditya Singh Rana

From Devbhoomi to Global Stage: A 2030 Roadmap for Uttarakhand’s Cultural and Tourism Transformation

Executive Summary Uttarakhand currently stands at a historical point. Between 2020 and 2025, the state has witnessed an extraordinary revival of its culture. Ancient traditions such as Pandav Lila, Jagar and Chamoli’s UNESCO-recognised Ramman festival are finding a wider audience through social media and are no longer confined to the remote hill villages. At the same time, diaspora communities and youth-led efforts, including the Mahakauthig in Noida and the Himalayan Folk Kafal Festival, have brought wide attention to Pahadi music, cuisine and crafts such as Aipan painting and Picchora weaving. This cultural revival has run alongside a major boom in tourism. In 2025, Uttarakhand welcomed 6.03 crore tourists, including around 1.93 lakh foreign tourists, crossing the 6 Crore mark for the first time since the state was formed. The Char Dham yatra brought about 5.1 million pilgrims in 2025, a 6 per cent rise over 2024, while the Kedarnath Yatra alone brought around ₹300 crore in its first 48 days. This has generated more than 80,000 direct and indirect jobs but has exerted pressure on fragile ecosystems and already stretched infrastructure. This paper analyses the data on temple footfalls, revenues and processional yatras and also identifies the main challenges of environmental degradation, glacier retreat, landslides, waste overflow, overcrowding and the growing commodification of culture. The 2025-2030 roadmap takes a practical approach to policy direction. It aims to preserve the state’s cultural assets, with a focus on recommendations like the introduction of carrying-capacity limits at shrines, investing in climate-resilient roads and shelters, and building a Digital Heritage Archive. The roadmap ensures strong ownership by the community by promoting fair revenue-sharing for local artisans, guides and other people involved. The economic growth of the state can be balanced with sustainability and cultural preservation if these actions are implemented carefully while also generating more opportunities for the people and increasing global recognition in the future. A Cultural Renaissance (2020-2025): Digital and Diaspora Drivers Uttarakhand’s cultural heritage is entering a new era of visibility. Social media and streaming platforms are the tools that have taken Devbhoomi’s essence across the world. While traditions like Kumaon’s Phool Dei and Chholiya dance are now being widely featured on Instagram reels, footage of Pandav Lila, Garhwal’s epic folk theatre, has gone viral. Youth-led groups such as the Pandavaas folk band, behind the Himalayan Folk Festival and the organisers of the Kafal Festival are reviving eco-conscious cultural gatherings in remote villages. The Mahakauthig Mela, organised by the Uttarakhandi diaspora in Delhi NCR, attracts large crowds eager to experience Uttarakhand's cuisine, handicrafts, and music. The 15th edition of the Mela, organised in December 2025 and held for seven days, featured 180 stalls. Together, these events connect the rich heritage of Uttarakhand with the world, while also generating more economic opportunities for Pahadi communities. Yet this sudden "folk revival" comes with risks as well. As traditions gain more audience, the pressure grows to simplify or commercialise them. Artisans are seeing an increase in demand for “Aipan souvenirs,”. However, there are a few support systems that ensure fair returns or quality control. The state government needs to guide this cultural revival towards a sustainable direction. This could happen by creating digital archives of songs and oral histories, trade cooperatives for handicrafts, and proper certification for authentic folk performances. Meanwhile, empowering local communities would ensure preservation of their traditions and global recognition. Unprecedented Tourist and Pilgrim Influx in 2025 The growing interest in culture is reflected in tourism numbers. Official figures show that 6.03 crore tourists visited Uttarakhand in 2025 (including 1.93 lakh foreign visitors), shattering the previous record of 5.96 crore from 2023. Haridwar alone accounted for 3.42 crore tourists. Dehradun district followed with approximately 67 lakh and Tehri with 53 lakh tourists. This was mainly boosted by adventure and water sports. Pilgrimage and seasonal yatras drove much of this growth. In 2025, the Char Dham Yatra welcomed more than 5.11 million pilgrims, 6% more than in 2024. By 2030, the numbers could reach up to 6.5-7 million and generate ₹12,000-15,000 crore in revenue. Kedarnath Dham (Jyotirlinga Shiva) alone saw over 11.4 lakh pilgrims by mid-June 2025, bringing more than ₹300 crore in just 48 days. State forecasts (by agencies and media) put the entire Char Dham economy at approximately ₹7,500 crore for FY2025. Tables 1 and 2 below list the major temples across Kumaon and Garhwal with their 2025 footfalls and revenues. Many of these figures remain unpublished; for many shrines (e.g. Naina Devi, Bageshwar’s Baghnath), official visitor data are not publicly released. We cite the government or news sources wherever available. Importantly, Haridwar’s Har Ki Pauri ghat alone drew around 3.42 crore visitors in 2025, highlighting its place as a growing hub of religious tradition in the state. Religious tourism is estimated to support between 50,000 and 80,000 jobs across Uttarakhand, from mule operators to guesthouse staff to local shop owners. Table 1: Major Temples – Kumaon Region (2025) Temple Name District Naina Devi Temple Nainital Temple Committee / District Admin 15–25 lakh annually (high tourist overlap with Nainital ~30,000/day peak season) Jageshwar Dham Almora ASI & Tourism 5–8 lakh annually (major heritage + pilgrimage circuit) Chitai Golu Devta Temple Almora Local Trust 6–10 lakh annually (popular wish-fulfilling temple with heavy regional footfall) Nanda Devi Temple (Almora) Almora Temple Committee 3–5 lakh annually (peaks during Nanda Devi Mela) Bagnath Temple Bageshwar Temple Trust 4–7 lakh annually (huge spike during Uttarayani Mela) Purnagiri Temple Champawat Temple Committee 20–30 lakh annually (one of the highest footfall temples in Kumaon; major Navratri pilgrimage) Kainchi Dham Nainital Ashram Trust ~24 lakh annually (rapid growth from 8 lakh earlier) Patal Bhuvaneshwar Pithoragarh Tourism / Local Committee 1–2 lakh annually (remote but famous cave temple) Baijnath Temple Bageshwar ASI 2–4 lakh annually (heritage tourism + local pilgrimage) Table 2: Major Temples – Garhwal Region (2025) Temple Name District Deity Managing Body Visitors (2025) Revenue (2025 – Estimated/Derived) Kedarnath Temple Rudraprayag Bhagwan Shiva (Jyotirlinga) BKTC ~16.5–17.7 lakh (full season) ₹300–400+ crore (total ecosystem impact) Badrinath Temple Chamoli Bhagwan Vishnu BKTC ~16–16.6 lakh (full season) ₹60–70 crore (BKTC revenue) Gangotri Temple Uttarkashi Maa Ganga Temple Committee 6–8 lakh annually (derived from Char Dham split) ₹10–20 crore (estimated donations + local economy) Yamunotri Temple Uttarkashi Goddess Yamuna Temple Committee 6–7 lakh annually (derived) ₹8–18 crore (estimated) Tungnath Temple Rudraprayag Bhagwan Shiva BKTC / Local 1–2 lakh annually (trek-based access limits volume) ₹2–5 crore (estimated seasonal economy) Neelkanth Mahadev Temple Pauri Garhwal Bhagwan Shiva Local Trust 8–12 lakh annually (close to Rishikesh tourist flow) ₹15–30 crore (donations + tourism spend) Dhari Devi Temple Pauri Garhwal Maa Dhari Devi Trust 5–8 lakh annually (high highway pilgrimage traffic) ₹10–20 crore (estimated) Triyuginarayan Temple Rudraprayag Bhagwan Vishnu Local Committee 1–2 lakh annually (wedding destination trend growing) ₹3–8 crore (tourism + rituals) Surkanda Devi Temple Tehri Maa Durga GMVN / Local 3–5 lakh annually (ropeway + accessibility boost) ₹5–12 crore (estimated) Har Ki Pauri Haridwar Ganga Ghat Devasthanam Board ~3.42 crore annually ₹500–800 crore (city-wide religious economy est.) The gaps in data, marked as “Not officially published”, highlight a clear lack of transparency. For better planning, state authorities should record and release temple footfall and revenue figures, perhaps via RTI where needed. Economic Impact and Livelihoods Religious tourism remains the central aspect of the economy of Uttarakhand. For example, the Char Dham circuit alone supports a vast network of livelihoods across various parts of the state. In Kedarnath alone from May-June 2025, about 2.27 lakh journeys were handled by horses and mules, which generated over ₹67 crore. 49,294 flights were provided by the helicopter services, which brought in ₹61 crore. Local hotels and food services generated around ₹150 crore and shuttle services added another ₹11 crore to the state’s economy. Similar patterns are seen across Gangotri, Yamunotri and Badrinath. The pilgrimage sector accounts for around 40-50% of the state’s revenue and 80,000 jobs, especially in the regions with limited livelihood options. Small towns like Gaurikund and Sonprayag and districts like Pithoragarh and Chamoli depend heavily on this seasonal flow of visitors. The state government’s plans reflect how important tourism has become for Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand aims to increase the number of visitors to 70 million by 2030 and boost tourism-linked GDP to ₹50,000-60,000 crore. The 2025-26 budget set aside ₹478.8 crore for the development of tourism alone. Projects such as “Spiritual Economic Zones,” which combine pilgrimage circuits with local craft markets and the Sharda Economic Corridor connecting New Delhi to Dehradun are already in progress. At the same time, there is a growing sense of caution among stakeholders. Many point out that this growth needs to be carefully managed. Some senior activists have suggested that the official figure of 6.03 crore visitors excludes unregistered Kanwar yatris and casual travellers. When these are accounted for, Uttarakhand might have actually handled between 8 and 10 crore spiritual tourists in 2025. Risks and Vulnerabilities Despite this growth, Uttarakhand faces multiple challenges: Environmental Pressure and Climate Hazards: Uttarakhand's sensitive Himalayan landscape is feeling the environmental pressure more than ever. A study from the Dehradun-based SDC Foundation reveals that 2025’s Char Dham Yatra saw 55 "zero-pilgrim days" due to landslides, floods and road blockages. Gangotri and Yamunotri were among the most affected, as they lost weeks of pilgrimage traffic. Further, the melting glaciers and unpredictable monsoons are going to increase weather disruptions in future. Also, soil erosion has been intensified because of the rise in unregulated trekking and temple construction. Researchers also warn that rivers like the Mandakini and Alaknanda are becoming heavily silted. Waste management in the state is struggling as large piles of uncollected litter and single-use plastics accumulate along the trek routes. Carrying Capacity and Overcrowding: Long-term environmental health can be ensured by setting limits on the number of visitors arriving. As per academic studies, the safe daily capacities are estimated to be 13,000 pilgrims for Kedarnath and 15,000 for Badrinath. However, during the peak days, the crowd exceeds these numbers with long, stretched queues. This level of crowding damages the trails and also increases local prices, giving rise to black markets in lodging and transport. Infrastructure Bottlenecks: Most important routes across the state, such as the path of Auli-Gaurikund-Kedarnath and the road to Hemkund Sahib, are marked as high-risk. Several “pinch points”, identified during the COVID era, haven’t been properly fixed to date. Events like the Chamoli flash flood in February 2021 highlight that many temples and settlements still lack sufficient avalanche shelters and escape routes. Cultural Commodification: Because of the rising commercialisation of the state’s tourism, the traditional practices face the risk of losing their authenticity. This may lead to organisers hiring outsiders instead of locals, and local artists being underpaid or not properly credited. The local communities may not benefit from the economic gains from cultural tourism unless policies specifically meant for promoting community ownership are established. This would also safeguard the authenticity of these traditions over time. Governance Complexity: The various agencies responsible for management include Shrine Committees, District Administrations, the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, GMVN lodges and local forest and police departments. This fragmented management structure slows down the decision-making process as the coordination gaps emerge. At Yamunotri, for example, one agency manages sewage treatment while another manages parking. Smoother coordination and effective implementation could be ensured by establishing a unified "Pilgrimage Authority" which would eventually boost overall management. The policies should be established around the environmental and cultural sustainability of Uttarakhand. As the SDC Foundation warns, instead of just focusing on breaking records of pilgrim or tourist numbers, Uttarakhand should aim to build a pilgrimage infrastructure that is climate-resilient as well as sustainable. The roadmap below shows how. Roadmap to 2030: Policy Recommendations To balance growth with preservation, we propose a multi-pronged roadmap (see mermaid timeline below) and supporting table of actions: Table 3: Priority Actions and Institutions (2025–2030) Action Timeline Lead Agency Indicative Budget (₹ crore) Cultural Registry & Digital Archives: Identify, document and digitise endangered folk practices (songs, dances, oral histories). Establish a public Uttarakhand Cultural Heritage Portal. 2025-26 Dept. of Culture / State Archives 10-15 (central + state grants) Carrying-Capacity Policy: Set and enforce visitor limits at temples (e.g. daily caps via advance permits) and for major festivals (Mahakauthig, Kanwar). Develop dynamic pricing for peak seasons. 2025 (pilot) UTDB / IT Dept. / Tourism Div. 5-10 (IT systems) Climate-Resilient Infrastructure: Upgrade key pilgrimage routes with climate-proofing: rockfall barriers, early warning systems and all-weather shelters near pilgrimage sites. Prioritise Yamunotri/Gangotri approaches. 2025-2029 PWD / NDRF / Forest Dept. 500+ (major roads/dams) Decentralised Pilgrimage Trusts: Expand existing Temple Trusts to cover the entire Char Dham & Kanwar circuits; include local community reps. Empower them to manage earnings, tourist flow and upkeep. 2025-27 Dept. of Religious Affairs; District ADM 2-5 per trust (seed grants) Skill & Enterprise Development: Launch Pilgrim Services Certification (training guides, homestay hosts, mule trackers). Provide micro-loans/grants for local artisans, homestays and eco-tourism ventures (with special incentives for women & youth). 2025-28 Skill Dev. Dept. / NABARD 50-100 (training, subsidies) Off-Season & Offbeat Tourism: Promote Kumbh, rafting, trekking and rural tourism in Kumaon/Garhwal. Market “four seasons” circuits (e.g. winter Do Dham, spring wildlife). Incentivise low-impact accommodations (eco-lodges, camps). 2026-30 UTDB / Forest Dept. / Ayurveda Dept. 20-50 (marketing, subsidies) Integrated Waste Management: Deploy solid waste processing units in key towns (Haridwar, Kedarnath base), ban single-use plastics. Organise “pilgrim shramdaan” campaigns and impose fines for littering on routes. 2025-26 Urban Dev. Dept. / ULBs 10-20 (infrastructure) Tourism Intelligence Unit: Set up a data cell (under Tourism Dept.) to collect real-time footfall and environmental data (GPS tracking, sensor networks) for evidence-based planning. 2025-27 Uttarakhand Tourism Dept. / IT Dept. 10-15 (IT equipment) Marketing & Diaspora Engagement: Expand Pravasi Uttarakhandi Samelan and cultural exchanges. Use digital media for global campaigns (highlight lesser-known festivals like Ramman, Phool Dei). Provide travel grants to scholars/diaspora for research on Uttarakhand culture. 2025-30 Dept. of Culture / External Affairs 5-10 annually (promo) Climate Adaptation Fund: Allocate an emergency relief fund (via Disaster Response Board) to support affected tourism entrepreneurs in flood/landslide events, as recommended by SDC Foundation. 2025-30 Disaster Mgmt. Dept. / Finance Dept. 20-50 (reserve fund) The timeline of each action is indicative and inter-departmental coordination is assumed above. For example, the proposed Pilgrimage Management Board (an inter-ministerial committee) could bring together work across tourism, culture, environment and disaster management. Conclusion In the last five years, the nation’s youth, as well as the world, have witnessed Uttarakhand’s heritage coming alive. The sound of Uttarakhandi lok geet is coming out from the auditoriums in Delhi, and a massive number of devout pilgrims have been flocking to the temples of the state like never before. Only with the guidance of the right policy measures can these trends actually generate great dividends, both socially and economically. Environmental degradation and overtourism may begin to harm the cultural heritage of the Devbhoomi if there’s no proper intervention. By investing in infrastructure, setting up clear sustainability limits and ensuring that the local communities play a stronger role, Uttarakhand can shape its cultural revival into a resilient development model, and this would ensure that the sacred rhythms of Garh-Kumaon continue even as global interest rises.