Kedarnath submerged, pilgrims’ progress halted
19 Jun 2013 5:44 AM IST
As the weather cleared up in the calamity-hit state of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, the damage to the holy shrine of Kedarnath at 3,581 metres in the Mandakini valley became evident. Reports said the temple which has a Jyotirlingam was submerged in the gushing waters of Mandakini causing damage to the structure.
However, an official of the Shri Badrinath-Kednarnath Temple Committee said though a full damage assessment has not been carried out yet, the main shrine remains intact. Parts of the temple compound though have been washed away. The receding waters have left behind a trail of debris and silt. Many pilgrims are reportedly buried under the debris.
Nearly 500 pilgrims are still stranded in Kedarnath town. According to an official report, it is not possible to access the number of pilgrims who remain buried. Gaurikund, from where the 14-km trek to the shrine starts, was completely swept away by the roaring Mandakini. According to reports, 40 hotels are reportedly damaged at Gaurikund. 11 people have lost their lives in Rambada, a market en route to the shrine.
The Kedarnath temple was built by Adi Shankaracharya in the ninth century, and every year lakhs of pilgrims from all over the country visit this place. Bodies of three ITBP jawans and two police constables were recovered from the debris at Kedarnath, official sources said, adding these casualties occurred on Monday. According to a government release, the number of dead has now crossed 50.
According to officials sources more than 40 policemen deployed around the shrine to regulate the flow of pilgrims are reported to be missing. With Chardham Yatra at its peak in the state, the early arrival of monsoon in Uttarakhand, that too in full fury, caught the state administration unawares. It has so far failed to reach out to the stranded pilgrims effectively. Reports from various districts said the number of stranded people could be as high as 75,000.
According to officials, two choppers deployed between Kedarnath shrine and Fata helipad ferried about 200 stranded pilgrims from the high altitude shrine to a helipad in Rudraprayag district before being taken to the town of Guptkashi. Chopper services were started on a war footing with no fresh spell of rain on Tuesday morning at most places in Uttarakhand, an official said. Two IAF helicopters and two private helicopters have been sent into the Chamoli district where a huge number of pilgrims are still stranded. The Yatra remained suspended on Tuesday.
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