Uttarakhand Authorities Raze 'Illegal' Structure Built by Godman Along Sacred Glacial Lake

Authorities have demolished a structure allegedly built illegally by a self-styled godman at a height of over 14,500 feet on Sunderdhunga Glacier along the banks of a Devi Kund, sacred pond, in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district.

Kapkot SDM Anurag Arya said a combined team of the police, SDRF and forest personnel undertook a two-day trek to the temple through a tough terrain and razed the structure on Saturday.

The Sunderdhunga Glacier falls under the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where any unauthorised construction is strictly prohibited.

The SDM clarified the structure was not a temple as reported by a section of the media but a simple one-room structure.

It had been erected quietly by the self-styled godman Chaitanya Akash after convincing residents of nearby villages that he had received a divine order to do so in a dream, Arya told PTI.

“The baba has dubious antecedents. He was driven out of several places, including Dwarahat, before he came to this area,” the official said. No one was found inside the structure at the time it was being demolished, he added.

After building the structure along the banks of the sacred Devi Kund, the “baba” began using the ‘kund’ as a swimming pool, bathing in it frequently which raised eyebrows, the SDM said.

Locals objected to it terming it an act of desecration as they bathed idols of their deities in the revered pond during the Nanda Raja Jaat Yatra which takes place every 12 years.

They reported the matter to the district administration in July.

However, action could be taken more than two months after the matter came to light as the temple stood at a height of 14,500 feet in treacherous terrain, the SDM said.

An attempt was made to reach the spot in July as well but the team returned without accessing it due to adverse weather conditions, he said.

The terrain is tough and going there during the peak of monsoon to raze the structure could have been risky because of heightened vulnerability of the terrain to natural disasters, Arya said.

However, action was finally taken as the temple was erected in an eco-sensitive zone, he added.