Cracks surface in Gangotri temple
Dehradun, June 28: Even as rescue operations are on in flood-hit Uttarakhand and a team of experts is gauging damage to the 1,000-year-old Kedarnath shrine, officials Friday said that cracks have appeared in the Gangotri temple - one of the shrines on the Char Dham route.
Officials said the courtyard of the 19th century temple, which is known to be the source of the Ganga, in Uttarkashi, had been damaged owing to the torrential downpour June 15 and an overflowing spring had led to cracks in one of the structure's walls.
"Though
the
actual
distance
of
the
Ganga
river
from
the
temple
is
about
18
km,
the
rain
water
accumulated
on
the
roof
top
of
the
courtyard,
leading
to
seepage
and
cracks
in
one
of
the
walls,"
said
an
official.
The cracks on the wall of the temple were "very ominous as some part of the temple roof was made of wood and hence the cracks could further aggravate the damage", said an official.
Officials say the Bhairon Jhap waterfall is a major cause of concern for the well-being of the temple as overflowing water and rocks and pebbles flowing in it damage the structure.
Dronacharya Samwal, priest of the temple, said while vagaries of rains and other natural calamities were always a concern, this year's "frightening" rains, early in the month, have sent jitters down their spines.
Officials said they will attend to the temple after the evacuation of pilgrims is done.
"As of now, the entire administration is busy with the Kedarnath tragedy and is engaged in shifting pilgrims to safety. After this is over, we will certainly attend to the damage in the temple too," an official of Uttarkashi told IANS.
The sanctum sanctorum of the temple, situated at 3,100 metres height, houses an idol of Ganga and thousands of pilgrims and devotee visit it every year between June and August, officials said.
Nearby areas like Joshimath and Harshil have been ravaged by the rains in Uttarakhand and have been at the epicentre of the tragedy and the subsequent rescue operations in the region.
IANS