DEHRADUN: Devastated by Sunday afternoon's flash-floods, the whole of Kedarnath town in Rudraprayag stands virtually razed but for the 1200-year-old temple built by Adi Shankaracharya jutting out amid the six feet deep layer of mud and rocks. However, heartening news for the faithful is that the statues and the lingam inside the Lord Shiva temple, as well as his mount, Nandi the bull, adorning the 250ft x70ft courtyard, are intact.

"Call it a miracle but the Nandi statue and the other idols in the temple are intact," an official told news agencies here, adding that the few pilgrims who were inside the temple when the cloud burst, too, have survived. The temple isn't free of any damage, though. Made of large stone slabs on a rectangular platform, the temple exhibits fine masonry and sits at 3,584 metres in the Himalayas around 140 miles north of Rishikesh.

Adi Shankaracharya's samadhi, or the place where his soul consciously exited his body and where his body lies buried, is under the debris. There's no sight of another ancient Bhairav temple not far from the Kedarnath shrine, though.

"The destruction all around the temple has been terrible," said the official, adding that the real death toll would eventually be much higher than officially stated 150 so far.