The Badrinath Dham, which symbolizes a synthesis of religious, cultural and spiritual mystic beauty, is undergoing reconstruction and beautification. Bulldozers are digging at the lower part of the temple. People privy to construction work have said that the water of two of the Panch Dharas, Kurma Dhara and Prahlad Dhara, has disappeared. Many apprehensions are being born regarding the side effects of these works.

I have experienced this region's unique natural, cultural and spiritual heritage for the last nine decades. The indiscriminate tampering with this has been bothering me for some time now.

On December 3, 2022, I got the opportunity to meet Bhaskar Khulbe ji, who has an important role in the implementing the Badrinath Dham's reconstruction works. I advised him to go ahead with the construction work after taking the opinion of experts.

In this context, on January 7, 2023, I wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami informing them about my concerns. I was informed by SMS on May 5, 2023 that the complaint has been disposed of. Later, I came to know that my letter has been sent to the Chamoli district tourism officer for action. This is very surprising.

My letter to the prime minister was as follows.

The reconstruction work in Badrinath is being done under your supervision and guidance. The Badrinath Dham is very sensitive from the geological point of view, and due to periodic avalanches, earthquakes and erosion by the Alaknanda River, the Badrinath Dham faced severe disasters in the years 1803, 1930, 1949, 1954, 1979, 2007, 2013 and 2014.

For these reasons, in the year 1974, efforts by the Jai Shree Trust of the Birla Group to change the appearance of the Badrinath Dham were opposed, and a committee constituted under the chairmanship of Narayan Dutt Tiwari (finance minister in the-then government of Uttar Pradesh), in which experts from various fields were also there, had banned this construction work.

Due to health and other reasons, I have not been able to visit the Badrinath Dham for the last four to five years. Some of my friends from Mana village and some acquaintances who had returned from the Badrinath pilgrimage informed me about the reconstruction work. It was also said that the water of Kurm Dhara, one of the Panch Dharas, has been shifted.

It was very painful for me to hear this. In a way, it is like changing the basic character of the Badrinath Dham.

The traditional ancient Badrinath Dham includes Singh Dwar, Bhogmandi, Panch Dhara (Prahlad Dhara, Kurma Dhara, Bhrigu Dhara, Urvashi Dhara, Indra Dhara) Panch Shilas (Garuda, Nar, Nrisingh, Varaha and Markandeya) Tapt Kund, Narad Kund, Surya Kund and Brahma Kapal. Any kind of change in its form will be construed as a change in the basic form of the Dham. This will adversely affect its well-being, dignity and ecological stability.

I request that the reconstruction works do not have any adverse effect on the ancient form of the Badrinath Dham and the above mentioned places. Along with this, proper assessment of mining, construction etc. which is going on in the Dham should also be done from the point of view that it is compatible with the ecological condition of the Dham and it will not affect its basic nature.

The Badrinath valley is a U-shaped valley formed by a glacier five kilometres long and one kilometre wide from Dev Darshani to Mana. The geologist Prof M.P.S. Bisht says that the debris brought by the glacier in the Badrinath valley is a himodh (moraine).

Over this debris, located on both banks of the Alaknanda, rocks are continuously broken down and deposited in the form of large screes in the lower valley. Two beautiful eye-shaped lakes have also been formed in the foothills of Nar Parvat on top of the debris, created by breaking glaciers, gravity and through frost action. These are called sheshnetra.

At the very beginning of the Badrinath valley is the Kanchan Ganga, which originates from the Kuber Bhandar glacier. The Kanchan Ganga merges into the Alaknanda before Dev Darshani. After this, the Rishi Ganga, originating from Mount Neelkanth, meets it near Bamani village.

The Saraswati River originates from Mana Pass and joins the Alaknanda at Keshav Prayag near Mana, collecting many small and big streams. The confluence of the Alaknanda Satopanth Glacier and the Bhagirath Khark Glacier is known as the Alkapuri bank flows. These small and big streams keep bubbling up from time to time, which leads to the loss of life and property.

Narayan and Nar Parvats are covered with many wildflowers including tulsi, brahma kamal, fan kamal and so on, as well as the bushes of semru and amesh. Sea buckthorn and burans species are also present. In a way, Badrinath is also a pilgrimage of natural beauty.

I first visited Badrinath in the year 1940 at the age of seven and thereafter from the beginning of the seventies almost every year, and many times whenever there was an avalanche, barrage or other type of calamity in this area.

Keeping in view the geological and geomorphological sensitivity of this high Himalayan region as well as natural outrages in the past, it is my considered view that a detailed geological and ecological assessment should be done before starting any construction work in the Badrinath region.

It is necessary to study the continuous avalanches here, the snow storms that precede it and the snow banks coming from the Nar Narayan and Neelkanth mountains. This study should include a detailed assessment of the land stability of the mouths of the Nar Narayan and Neelkanth mountains' glaciers, its relation to river erosion seen in boulders along the banks of the Alaknanda, the load bearing capacity of the soil and so on.

Similarly, in view of the religious importance of the Badrinath Dham, shilpa shastra should be taken care of in the construction of the entire complex. It is notable that in the past, during the tenure of Late Shri Harigovind Pant in the Badrinath Temple Committee, an expert committee was constituted to make the environment of Badrinath beautiful and dignified, and to implement the new construction plan.

Under this, there was a plan for the revival and expansion of Narad Kund, Surya Kund, Gauri Kund and making Tapt Kund ashtapahal, keeping its religious form, as well as building a wide platform from Adi Kedareshwar-Shankaracharya to the front of Singh Dwar.

For this work, Prabhashankarbhai Sompura, an engineer renowned for constructing the Somnath temple, was invited for advice and assistance. According to his plan, only the Adi Kedareshwar temple could be renovated.

Sompura had advised building the temple according to the principles of shilpa shastra – be it stone or any other material, shilpa shastra forbids the use of iron-cement and concrete in the temple and its premises. It also says that the sabha mandap and dome should not be bigger than the Badrinath temple.

In accordance with this important advice, the construction work in the entire pilgrimage centre, including the reconstruction of the Sapta Kund or the new construction of the sabha mandap, should be in accordance with the traditional classical style.

Also Read: As Cracks Develop on Badrinath Highway, Experts Say Joshimath Displacement Ongoing for Years

Ultimately, Badrinath is India's cultural heritage. Its natural beauty is unique. The Nar, Narayan and Neelkanth mountains and glaciers spread all around and are part of the Badrinath Dham's beauty. Badrinath ji's aarti, "pavan mand sugandh sheetal hem mandir shobitam, nikat Ganga behet nirmal" (a mild fragrant breeze adorns the golden temple as the Ganga flows calmly nearby) describes these sentiments.

It is the responsibility of all of us to keep this natural beauty intact. The reconstruction and beautification of this area should not be equated with the work done in the plains and coastal areas of India.

Before reconstruction and beautification, the opinion and cooperation of people, experts, saints and devotees having traditional knowledge about the Badrinath area should also be taken. With the power of and faith in the Badrinath Dham, I believe that the construction work will be eco-friendly while respecting the basic nature of the Dham.

This article was originally written in Hindi.

Chandi Prasad Bhatt is an environmentalist and social worker who pioneered the Chipko Movement of the 1970s.

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