RISHIKESH, July 5, 2013: As people have struggled to come to terms with the scale of devastation and loss of lives in the flash floods last month, a number of faith-based explanations have taken root in this land fertile with legend and lore. The Garhwal Himalayas have a disproportionate share of spirituality and mysticism-it is home of the holiest shrines of Hinduism and the ancient Char Dham pilgrimage, the Hemkund Sahib shrine worshipped by the Sikhs and two holy rivers revered across the North Indian plains and beyond. The dense forests of the state are home to countless lesser known deities and shrines. Inevitably, the faithful have looked for answers that transcend the material. 

The strongest legend is that of the displacement of Dhari Devi's shrine near Srinagar in Rudraprayag district, which was being moved to avoid its submersion due to a 330MW hydel power project that was coming up nearby. The deity is regarded here as the protector of the Char Dham pilgrimage. 

GVK Group's Alaknanda Hydro Power Company Ltd was building a run of the river project in the area and work to move the idol, according to local media reports, began on the evening of 16 June. The timing has added to the strength of the legend. Within hours, cloudbursts had happened upstream and the Alaknanda river came surging down. 

"The godess is the protector of pilgrims in Uttarakhand and it is my firm belief that it was the removal of this idol that attracted the cloudburst and nature's ire that left a huge trail of death and destruction throughout the state," the UNI news agency quoted former Madhya Pradeshchief minister Uma Bharati as saying days after the tragedy. Many locals and BJP leaders had all along been opposed to the shifting of the shrine. 

"People believe that the Devi should not have been disturbed," said Assanganand Saraswati, the 77-year-old seer who is the managing trustee of the Paramarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh. The Shiva idol on the banks of the Ganga that was washed away in the floods and became the defining television image of the tragedy was erected by the Ashram. The seer said that was not the only factor. 

"Ganga was being stopped with dams. Drainages was being directed into the river. We consider Ganga to be brahm drav. The mere darshan of the Ganga is believed to rid you of your sins. Now hotels have been built all the way up to Kedarnath. This has become a picnic spot," he said, with unconcealed dismay. 

Another legend that is in circulation, albeit less popular, is that the temple administrators were playing fast and loose with the timings for the seasonal opening of the Kedarnath temple to accommodate the interests of tour operators. "This is a belief many people have. But the practical side of it is that the authorities ignored repeated warnings that the sarovar above the Kedarnath temple (Gandhi sarovar) was full and could breach the mountains," said Manmohan Agarwal, proprietor of Radhe Radhe Gems and Jewellers near Ram Jhula in Rishikesh. 

Source: The Economic Times, DT. July 5, 2013.