The work on second phase of restoration and conservation at Kedarnath by the Archaeological Survey of India will begin next year when the shrine reopens to the public after this winter.
The work will be resumed in consultation with the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC).
Necessary material, tools and equipment will be purchased for the commencement of conservation works next year.
According to the ASI Dehradun circle, the phase II of conservation works will include repairs to the plinth of the temple, filling up of
missing stones, after duly carving and matching original stone, on facades of the temple, cleaning of the entire interior of the temple, removing marble flooring and providing deodar wooden flooring inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
A detailed proposal for the improvement of environs around the temple will be prepared and submitted through the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, to the State Government and BKTC for their approval.
It is pertinent to mention here that after the flashfloods of June 16 – 17 that destroyed much of Kedarnath Dham, the ASI was requested to undertake the restoration of
Kedarnath temple and its immediate environs.
Accordingly, conservation work of the temple has been taken up by ASI for structural conservation as well as chemical preservation since second week of October, after finalisation of detailed estimates.
Before that also some work of cleaning and chemical preservation was attended to by the Science Branch of ASI and estampages of inscriptions were taken by Epigraphy Branch, Mysore, for their decipherment.
In phase I, so far, part removal of debris deposited on the southern, western and eastern side have been attended. Nearly 489 cubic metres of debris deposit was removed from the plinth and approximately 635 square metres area of plinth was cleared.
The necessary stone packing to the damaged portions of the temple walls was done and the replacement of damaged wooden door on the
western side of the temple was completed.
The cleaning of the sanctum sanctorum walls was done up to about nine feet height.
The total station survey plan of about 50 X 50 meters of the temple site is under preparation by the ASI survey team for which field data has
been collected.
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) team has also done necessary GPR survey of the site to study anomalies beneath the ground and to check the health/ status of the foundation.
The structural conservation as well as chemical preservation work was stopped on November 2 due to snow fall and severe winter conditions at the site.