Jeyendra Saraswati offers to take on restoration of Kedarnath

Kanchi Mutt head Jeyendra Saraswati on Thursday said the Mutt is fully prepared to take on the restoration of the Shiva temple of Kedarnath that has been ravaged by the recent floods in Uttarakhand.

"The Mutt has made arrangements to assess the nature and damage to the temple, if any. The temple, which is a monument of our country's heritage and cultural richness, should not be tampered with. The fact that it withstood the natural calamity all around itself is proof of its sanctity," he said.

The eighth century shrine at Kedarnath in Uttarakhand withstood the ravage of the cloudbursts and floods that swept away its neighbourhood and much of the town in June.

He said the Mutt has informed the Uttarakhand government that it is willing to take the assistance of the Archaeological Survey of India or any other religious institution for the reconstruction.

The Acharya said he was happy that the 'misguided' idea of relocating the temple mooted by some persons had been abandoned as such an exercise would have been very harmful.

Jayendra Saraswathi recalled having gone on many pilgrimages to Kedarnath, sometimes on foot, and said he himself had installed a metal idol of Lord Shiva there.

He said the tradition of bringing the movable idol of Lord Shiva to Ukthi Mutt Omkareswarar temple in the plains may continue as usual during winter, when there is a ban on pilgrims' travel due to paths being blocked by snow. The idol is taken back to the temple after May, he said.