A self-styled godman quietly built an unauthorised temple on govt land at over 5,000 metres (16,500 feet) on the Sunderdhunga glacier in Bageshwar, Uttarakhand.
Officials are investigating the unauthorized construction.
Self-styled godman Baba Yogi Chaitanya Akash has claimed that he received divine instructions to construct the temple at the eco-sensitive area in the mountains.
Villager Mahendra Singh Dhami told the Times of India, “The Baba persuaded villagers to support the construction of the temple.” He mentioned that Baba had remarked, “He saw Devi Bhagwati in his dreams, and she gave him the instructions to build the temple at Devi Kund.”
The man has also been spotted taking a dip in the kund, which is revered by both locals and pilgrims. Many consider this to be impolite and a sulfuration of the sacred place.
Another local said, “This is filthy language.” Our deities have been coming to the kund, a scary place, during the 12-year Nanda Raj Yatra for millennia. Now, this so-called baba has built this temple, fooled the peasants, and abandoned our customs.
But now that the unauthorized construction has been detected, the local government is looking into it.
Kapkot sub-divisional magistrate Anurag Arya said a team from the forest department, police, and revenue office will soon visit Devi Kund to remove the encroachment and take suitable action against Yogi Chaitanya.
“We have received information about this the mandir’s construction. A team is being dispatched to review the situation at the location,” said ND Pandey, ranger, Glacier Range.
The unauthorized temple has revealed a serious weakness in the enforcement and collection of intelligence. Considering the government’s continuous push to demolish unlawful constructions in vulnerable locations, this is especially troubling.
Officials and residents are concerned about how simple it will be for illegal people to operate in these areas without being noticed.
