Archaeologists to assess Kedarnath temple

A team of archaeologists and officials left Wednesday for the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand to assess the condition of the shrine that was badly damaged in flash floods a year ago.

The team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the ministry of culture will do on-the-spot assessment of the restoration work that has been in progress for months, the government said.

Even though the temple is not protected by the ASI, restoration work was entrusted to it after last year's devastation in the hills.

After the June 2013 disaster killed thousands, conservation work for structural as well as chemical preservation at the 11th century temple was taken up by the ASI in October.

A team from IIT-Chennai is also visiting the site, located at an altitude of 3,969 metres above sea level, an official statement said.

This team will "carry out geophysical testing of the site".

Apart from this, six ASI officials have been stationed at the shrine for conservation work after the temple reopened in May this year.