M A I N   N E W S

86 days after Himalayan tsunami, prayers resume at Kedarnath
Neena Sharma/TNS

Dehradun, September 11
The precincts of the eight-century-old Kedarnath Temple once again reverberated with the tolling of bells and chanting of Vedic hymns as the doors of the shrine opened on Wednesday and proper puja was performed for the first time 86 days after flashfloods in Uttarakhand left hundreds of pilgrims and locals dead.

At exactly 7 am, the head priest of the Himalayan shrine, Rawal Bhima Shankar Linga, unlocked the temple portals and stepped into the sanctum-sanctorum to perform puja. The temple had been cleaned up by Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee members some days ago to perform the rituals laid down by Adi Shankaracharya.

Prayers began with purification of the temple followed by atonement for prolonged suspension of prayers at the shrine. The huge rock that saved the shrine was also worshipped by the priests.

The temple was decorated with flowers, and the nearby platform and other places damaged in the June floods were covered with marquees. The chief priest was accompanied by a large number of teeth purohits and Badrinath Kedarnath Samiti officials.

The date for the prayers was set after due deliberations with the head priest, panda samaj and members of the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee. “It’s an auspicious day to restart prayers. Now regular prayers would continue till Diwali, though the decision to resume the yatra would take place after we meet on September 30,” said Bhima Shankar Linga.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and members of his Cabinet were unable to fly to Kedarnath due to inclement weather. Guptakashi and Kedarnath areas were hit by rains on Wednesday morning. However, the prayers were attended by Cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat, Rudraprayag MLA Shaila Rani Rawat and members of the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee. The Chief Minister said the date for resuming prayers was fixed after consultation with different stakeholders.

“The government only acted as a facilitator by making arrangements for the prayers and restoring power, water and telecommunication connections at Kedarnath,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Opposition BJP termed the restarting of prayers as a sham and urged the government to focus on repairing roads and making temporary arrangements for people still living in tents in the Kedar valley.

(With agency inputs)

pilgrims will have to wait

• The resumption of prayers at the 13,500 ft-high shrine is of limited nature, as no pilgrim is allowed to visit
• A meeting is scheduled for September 30 to decide the date for resumption of the yatra to the famed temple
• The Kedar Valley is enveloped in a thick fog and the CM, members of his Cabinet and mediapersons were unable to fly to the shrine