Archaeologists to assess state of Kedarnath temple

A team of archaeologists and officials left here 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 an on-the-spot assessment of the restoration work that has been in progress for months, the government said.

The main restoration work the ASI will undertake this year includes providing wooden flooring, cleaning the entire interior of the temple and preserving its stone surfaces, and also carrying out repairs to the temple steps and its stone plinth, an official statement said.

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

They will also be repairing the roof over the "Mandapa" or forecourt of the temple that was damaged in the devastating flash floods.

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".

Besides this, six ASI officials have been stationed at the shrine for conservation work after the temple reopened for pilgrims and devotees in May this year.