BABA KEDARNATH TEMPLE - An Engineering Marvel of INDIA

BABA KEDARNATH TEMPLE- Divine providence & Great Indian Engineering.

The Temple is an architectural miracle that survived floods and a period of about 400 years of glaciation. Everyone knows about the fact that the Temple escaped relatively unscathed in the devastating floods of 2013 but only a few know that the Temple was under Glacier nearly for about 400 years. YES, you read right.

History-  Kedarnath temple is situated in the laps of the Himalayas and is said to have gained prominence after the Mahabharata tale depicted how the Pandavas urged Lord Shiva to forgive their bad Karma. The temple is said to have been built/resurrected by the great religious Guru Adi Shankaracharya to its present form. The Kedarnath Mandir that nestles at the foothills of the Himalayas is one of the holiest sites of Hinduism. A shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Destroyer of Evil, the temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas across India, one of the Char (4) Dhams (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, Gangotri), and one of the  Panch Kedars.

The temple is located in the Kedar valley below the Chorabari glacier, which is the source of the river Mandakini. With very little knowledge about Himalayan glaciers history, a study of Lichen's provided clues about the history of glaciers and the presence of a temple. A study revealed that the basin area of the glacier was about 38 sq km, of which the glacier occupied 15 sq km. Lichens have provided a clue to the geological history of the region which has helped demonstrate the resilience of the Kedarnath temple.

Lichen's a Clue to the Past- Lichens are a composite organism developed through a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi. A scientist from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, studied lichens growing on the rocks of Chorabari’s moraines to determine the glacier’s history. Scientists identified four well-defined moraine loops present at altitudes of 3,160 m, 3,320 m, 3,440 m, and 3,640 m. Moraine loops are formed of soil and rocks. As the glacier recedes, the ice melts, leaving the moraine behind. Moraine loops indicate the path taken by the glacier over time. Scientists found that the yellow-green lichen, Rhizocarpon geographicum, on the rocks grew at the rate of 1 mm per year. Using the size of the lichen and some statistical refinements, Scientists suggest that the climatic changes in the area started nearly about 258 years ago.

Glaciation- According to the scientists, the temple structure has several yellow lines, which were formed as the glacier slowly moved over the stones. Scientists say that even the inside of the temple shows signs of glacial movement and the stones are more polished. They point out that the period between 1300-1900 AD is known as Little Ice Age when a large portion of the earth was covered by the snow. It is believed that during the period, Kedarnath temple and the neighboring areas were covered by snow and became a part of glaciers. Although there is no documentary evidence regarding the age of the Kedarnath temple and by whom it was constructed, but there are several myths about its construction.