Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of the Jyotish Peeth in Uttarakhand, was stopped by police on Monday from circumambulating the Gyanvapi area in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
Assistant Police Commissioner Awadhesh Pandey said the seer did not have permission for the 'parikrama'.
Prohibitory orders under CrPC Section 144 are in force in the area, the police officer said. The Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque dispute is pending in court.
Soon after the Shankaracharya announced his plan to conduct 'parikrama' of the area at 3 pm, the police swung into action and stopped him as soon as he left a mutt.
The seer said, "It is our tradition to circumambulate the original area of Gyanvapi.... But we are being stopped from going there. We are being told that (CrPC) Section 144 has been imposed there. We are completing the process of obtaining permission (for the 'parikrama')."