'Godman' illegally builds temple near lake in Bageshwar, probe ordered

A self-styled godman has allegedly built an unauthorised temple in the Suderdhunga river valley close to a sacred lake originating from a glacier in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district, angering locals who have accused him of desecrating the lake by bathing in it.

According to officials, Baba Chaitanya Akash alias Aditya Kailash managed to convince some locals to help him construct the temple in the eco-sensitive zone by telling them that he had received divine orders in a dream to build it.

The matter was referred to the police for an investigation after an application was received from the locals in this regard, Bageshwar District Magistrate Anuradha Pal told PTI on the phone on Tuesday.

The road to the spot where the temple has been built passes through difficult terrain and remains closed during monsoon, she said.

"The structure made of wood and stone is a small temple. It is illegal and built on no man's land," Superintendent of Police (SP) Akshay Prahlad Konde said.

It seems that some locals helped him build the structure after he told them that he had received divine orders to construct it in a dream. The self-styled godman has been living in the temple for the last 10-12 days and bathing in the sacred lake, Devi Kund, the SP said.

This has caused resentment among the residents of the nearby villages who feel it is an act of desecration.

"The locals revere the lake and bathe their deities in it once in a year," Konde said.

While the self-styled godman managed to convince some locals to help him, many others refused to be taken in by his theory and approached the administration demanding action against him, the SP said.

"The police are examining the matter from the law and order point of view but as the structure is located on no man's land in an eco-sensitive zone, the forest department will have to be involved for any action against the encroachment," Konde said.

He said the spot is hard to reach and it takes two-three days to reach it from Wancham and Jatoli -- the last two villages in the Sunderdhunga river valley.

Konde said the antecedents of the self-proclaimed baba are being looked into.

Sources said the baba keeps changing his name and appears to be a "man of dubious character".

"He sometimes calls himself Chaitanya Akash and sometimes Aditya Kailash. It is difficult to say which of the two names is his real name," a source told PTI.

He keeps meeting politicians also. It seems that he came to stay here after he was denied shelter in Dwarahat and Haridwar, another source said.