After a brief hiccup, the authorities have resumed the pilgrimage to Kedarnath but contrary to claims being made by the State Government, the situation at Kedarnath leaves much to be desired.
In case of heavy rain, the water now enters the Kedarnath temple area as the old course of the Mandakini river has been altered due to the disaster experienced here in June last year.
Situated at an altitude of about 3,581 metres, the temple structure needs to be protected. According to the Kedarnath chief priest Bhima Shankar ling, the old course of the Mandakini river has not been cleared yet since the disaster last year. Due to this the river has altered its course and during heavy rains, its water enters the temple area. He stressed on the need for clearing the old course of the river while adding that though there is no problem in facilitating the pilgrimage to Kedarnath when the weather is clear, during heavy rains the pilgrims coming from outside Uttarakhand should be kept at Rishikesh or any other safe location till the weather clears.
It is pertinent to mention here that though there has been clear weather in this area for some days now, the steep climb at linchauli is posing a challenge to the pilgrims. Before disaster wreaked havoc here last year, the bridle path to Kedarnath was less steep and broader compared to the one being used at present.
In the past, various facilities made the pilgrimage less challenging for the visitors with food and water availability at various points on the route to the shrine. However, after last year’s disaster, the pilgrimage has become more difficult with limited supply of water, food and health facilities. At linchauli, the six kilometres long steep climb is testing the faith of the pilgrims.