Kedarnath Temple: Survivor of Floods

Kedarnath temple is one of the oldest temples on the land of Bharat. The temple is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range on the banks of the Mandakini river, the tributary of Ganga. Nobody knows when this temple was constructed. One of the earliest references to Kedarnath is found in Skanda Purana (7th and 8th Century). The present structure of the temple is said to have been built by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th Century though the temple and worship prevailed there much before that. The planning of the temple is that of a typical Hindu temple, with garbha griha and the mandapa. Its walls are covered with thick rock stones, and its roof is made of a single stone. This temple is 85 feet high, 187 feet long and 80 feet wide. Its walls are 12 feet thick and made of very strong stones. The temple is erected on a plinth 6 feet high. Interlocking techniques are used in the construction of temples. The aura and the ambience of the interior of the temple are worth mentioning here. Many stories and legends are associated with the temple. All these narratives confirm the importance of the temple in the Hindu mind. 

Kedarnath temple’s construction technique, along with other features of the temple, are responsible for the temple surviving the flood fury of 2013.

The surrounding area was destroyed, resulting in the death of thousands of pilgrims and locals. Shops and hotels in Kedarnath were destroyed and all roads were broken, but the temple was intact with minor injuries. People took shelter inside the temple for several hours. 

The temple survived the force of floods because of a strong stone plinth. Though there was less damage, the restoration work was necessary and taken up by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) immediately. 

In the first phase, 489 cubic meters of debris were removed from the plinth, and approximately 635 square meters of the plinth was cleared.   The necessary stone packing to the damaged portions of the temple walls was done. A team from the Geological Survey of India surveyed to find out damage done to the temple's foundation. Scientific Restoration steps with due precautions were taken to restore the heritage structure. The sanctity of the deity and worship rituals were the least affected in the process.