Is the removal of Dhari Devi idol the reason for the great devastation in Uttarakhand?

Anil Narendra

Some modern people may call it superstition, while other may term it just a coincidence, but the people of Uttarakhand, especially people of Srinagar and nearby areas claim the deluge that devastated many areas of Uttarakhand, was the result of removing the idol of the Goddess Dhari Devi.  The Garhwalis believe that the extensive devastation was the result of the wrath of the Goddess Dhari Devi. The idol of Dhari Devi, considered to be an incarnation of Goddess Kali, was removed in the evening of 16^th June from its ancient temple. In view of the Hydro Power Project in Srinagar, Uttarakhand, this step was taken. People of the area believe that situated in the middle of the River Alaknanda, the Goddess has been controlling the flow of the River for last 800 years. Dhari Devi is considered to be the protector of the Devbhoomi, four abodes (Char Dham) and the devotees. It is strange that situated on a hillock this ancient temple has no roof over it. People have tried in vain to construct a roof over the idol of the Goddess. The idol, still uncovered. It was decided to shift the temple of the Goddess Dhari Devi to upper reaches of the hill, but the plan was shelved in view of opposition by the locals and the Bhartiya Janata Party. Shri Lal Krishan Advani, Smt Sushma Swaraj and Shri Arun Jaitley had met the Prime Minister in this connection and requested him not to touch the temple. Ms. Uma Bharati even went on hunger strike over this matter and she broke her fast only on the assurance of the then Chief Minister Nishanka that the temple would not be shifted. Under the pressure of the administration and at the request of the Alaknanda Hydro Power Company, the priests and some locals removed the idol of the Goddess Dhari Devi and started the process of shifting the temple at around 7.30 PM on 16^th June. When these people were carrying on the process, there was a thunder bolt in the sky and then started the incessant rains, that caused flash floods in the river Alaknanda. What a great devastation the rains of 16^th June evening caused is known to everybody. But few people know that the devastation started in Kedarnath, Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib soon after the removal of the Goddess Dhari Devi Temple. Shri Ashok Shinghal of VHP said that people had demonstrated against the Hydro Power Project and protested against the removal of the idol the Goddess Dhari Devi. Despite these, the idol of the Goddess was removed on 16^th June. It was the ire of the Goddess Dhari Devi that resulted in the devastation in Kedarnath and other areas of Uttarakhand. The Goddess wanted to tell the atheists in the country that Himalayas and the rivers therein must not be exploited. The Goddess Dhari Devi is greatly revered by the people of the area. They believe that the face of the Goddess Dhari Devi has been changing according to times. The face of a girl has transformed to that of a lady and then to an old lady’s. According to a mythological legend, the entire temple was swept away in the devastating floods, but the idol of the Goddess Dhari Devi stuck to rock survived at the Dhari village. The villagers of Dhari had heard the divine voice of the Goddess that her idol be installed at that place. That is the reason why there is opposition to the shifting of the idol of the Goddess from the temple. This temple is situated at a distance of ten kilometer from Srinagar (Garhwal) at the Pauri village. The construction of 330 megawatt Alaknanda Hydro Power Project is under way. The project, which was scheduled to be completed 2011, is still uncompleted due to the opposition of the people of the area. The moment talks of shifting the idol of the Goddess started, the opposition at a new level also started afresh. In a bid to find an alternative, the Project officials decided to shift the Dhari Devi Temple away from the project site. A platform had already been constructed for the installation of the idol, but it was becoming difficult for the Project Officials and the Temple Committee to displaced the idol of the Goddess. When the River Mandakini started flooding on 16^th June, the Temple Committee immediately become active to protect the idol of the Goddess. According to Shri Devi Prasad Pandey, the former Secretary of the Dhari Devi Temple Committee , the temple was inundated with knee-deep water by evening. There were indications of very heavy rains by the evening and under such circumstances, there appeared no alternative but to remove the idol of the Goddess Dhari Devi. We shifted the idol at 6.30 in the evening. The ancient idol of the protector deity of people of Uttarakhand and the pilgrims for the four abodes was removed at 6.00 in the evening of 16^th June and warning bell of devastation started tolling by 8.00 in the night. The flash floods that followed in Uttarakhand exhibited its fury and caused widespread devastation, while the weather was quite normal two hours earlier. It is being said that the divine disaster is attributed to the Goddess Dhari Devi because the word ‘dhari’ means ‘preserver’ and Dhari Devi (the preserver) was removed from that place. It just activated all media, social sites and a debate started in favour and in opposition to the issue. It is difficult to say how far these things are true, because it is a matter of faith not of science, but some questions are still echoing in the Uttarakhand hills, answers to which are  nowhere to be found. Why a glacier suddenly broke simultaneously with a cloud burst between Gaurikund and Ram Bara. Every structure was swept away by the mighty waters in Kedarnath, but the temple of God Kedarnath survived the deluge. What was the reason? Jai Dhari Devi, Har Har Mahadev!