Kedarnath, the Hindu pilgrimage town in district Rudraprayag which became an epicentre of disaster in 2013 floods, is draped in a white sheet after receiving its third snowfall of the season on Friday, 8 January.
The snow-covered peaks and landscape presents a fairyland-like setting.
Kedarnath has so far received snowfalls on 28 November, 18 December, and this past Friday, 8 January.
The freezing temperatures hasn't failed to dampen the spirit of the reconstruction team that is mainly involved in shifting construction material and doing welding work of three-tier safety walls behind the Kedarnath temple. Presently, a team of 150 labourers, mostly Nepalese, are engaged in the reconstruction work.
The workers are manually shifting heavy iron gutters from Sonprayag to Kedarnath, which is a trek of 21 kilometres. The team of six workers, moving like robots and matching each other step by step, can be seen carrying a 150-kg iron pipe, 18-21 feet in length, effortlessly. The workers take about two full days to manually move the iron pipes to their final destination.
Back in June of 2013, Kedarnath had become an epicentre of the devastating flash-flood that hit the state of Uttarakhand. Over 5,000 pilgrims lost their lives, while thousands went missing. The services of India Army and India Air Force were used to evacuate trapped pilgrims from Kedarnath.
The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, India's pioneering mountaineering institute, is involved in the reconstruction work in the holy township that is located at the altitude of of 11,755 feet above sea level.'
Annually, thousands of pilgrims from different parts of India visit the Hindu shrine to pay their respect to Lord Shiva.
The workers have been supplied with clothing - that includes jacket, gloves, shoes, cap and goggles - to beat the extreme chill. Barring occasional visits of MI-17 helicopters - which supply heavy reconstruction material and are used for VIP movement - only the sound of welding machines and functioning crushers echoes within the valley. The workers have been staying at Kedarnath, during winters, for the second year in succession.
Usually, once the portals of Kedarnath are closed for a six month winter break, all inhabitants abandon the township. This time, all inhabitants left when the shrine was closed for winter break on 13 November. Only the labourers working on the reconstruction were left behind in the extremely challenging climatic conditions.
Post the 2013 disaster, nobody used to stay in Kedarnath in winters, but the flash floods have forced to Uttarakhand state government to continue construction work there to improve facilities for tourists. In a move to create tourist facilities, the labourers are working in the difficult climatic conditions. About 60 mules are used daily to shift kerosene oil, diesel, petrol, ration, etc from Sonprayag to Kedarnath.
Source- Catch
Source- Catch
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