The historic Kalp Kedar Shiva temple in Uttarakhand has been buried under debris following flash floods in the Kheer Ganga river.
The centuries-old shrine, built in the traditional Kature style and bearing architectural similarities to Kedarnath Dham, is known for its distinctive shivling shaped like the back of Nandi.
The temple’s history is marked by earlier calamities — it was rediscovered in 1945 after an excavation revealed its structure several feet underground. Devotees once descended below ground level to offer prayers, with water from the Kheer Ganga often flowing onto the sanctum’s shivling. Stone carvings still adorn the exterior.
The Kalp Kedar temple’s unique design and spiritual significance have long drawn pilgrims. The recent floods have once again concealed it beneath layers of debris, reviving concerns over the vulnerability of Uttarakhand’s cultural heritage sites to recurring natural disasters.
