Alleging that ancient beliefs and traditions were being dishonoured in the construction works undertaken in Kedarnath by the Bharatiya Janata Party Government, former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat has demanded a high level probe into such “indiscriminate” works underway there. He also accused the State Government of stalling works started by the previous State Government for protection of the Kedarnath area. The works being carried out by the Government at present will also weaken the foundations of the temple area, he said.
Addressing the media persons here a few days after returning from Kedarnath, the former Chief Minister said that he had gone with a binocular and magnifying glass to check the status of works in Kedarnath but was highly disappointed by what he saw. He said, “At a shrine there is no one higher than god but at Kedarnath we saw posters displaying pictures of Vijay Rupani and other personalities which is a clear insult of traditions. It was due to the opposition of Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee chairman Ganesh Godiyal, Kedarnath MlA Manoj Rawat and the Teerth Purohits that the laser show at Kedarnath was toned down into a type of animation show.
Even then, such acts along with major tampering with the traditional aspects of temple architecture are undermining the traditional and cultural grandeur of Kedarnath. Earlier the natural water drainage was behind the shrine but now it has been channelised to the front of the shrine which along with the 200 metre stretch dug up near the shrine will weaken the foundations of the temple complex.
The works being done there are against the basics of the Garhwal temple architectural style. I demand that a high level probe be conducted into such anomalies and those responsible for these be brought forward.”
Rawat also lambasted the state government for other works. He said, “We have been consistently demanding work to mitigate the land loss caused by the Mandakini river between Rambada and Kedarnath for which a Rs 4,000 crore project was also drafted. However, this seems to feature nowhere in the Government's plans.
More than a year later, the alternate exit routes we had made for the safety of pilgrims have not been repaired. The work done on the stretch of road from Agastyamuni to Kund and Sitapuri is being called part of all weather road project but even the potholes on the roads we had built have not been repaired.”
BKTC chairman Ganesh Godiyal said that he had written to the state government but still the lands belonging to the BKTC were not being handed over to it. The all weather road project work is nothing but road widening work, he added.
The Kedarnath MlA Manoj Rawat said that though as the MlA his priority is employment generation for people of the constituency, the top priority for all in the area is tradition in Kedarnath. He said, “The Kedarnath shrine dating back to the 12th century is constructed in the Madhya Himadri style, a special feature of the upper Garhwal region. However the features have been tampered with- the courtyard being expanded akin to a football field which has diminished the proportion of the shrine while making the courtyard more prominent.
The basics of temple architecture and design are being violated in a manner which is not only undermining ancient traditions but also making the temple area structurally weaker and vulnerable.” He also announced a reward of Rs 51,000 to any photojournalist able to click a photograph with the Kedarnath shrine and the mountain dome in the same frame. Rajya Sabha MP Pradeep Tamta, PCC vice president Jot Singh Bisht and other party leaders were also present at the Press conference.