Ancient Shiva temple Kalp Kedar buried under debris after Uttarkashi cloudburst

Kalp Kedar temple in Uttarkashi was buried in the debris brought over by the flash flood in the Kheer Ganga river.

The ancient Kalp Kedar temple in Uttarkashi was buried in the debris brought over by the flash flood in the Kheer Ganga river.

Residential buildings partially submerged in sludge after a cloudburst caused a massive mudslide in India's Uttarakhand state. (AFP)

The temple remained buried under ground for many years, possibly due to a previous disaster, with only its tip visible over ground. Follow Uttarkashi cloudburst live updates.

Built in the Kature style, the architecture of the Shiva temple is similar to that of Kedarnath Dham.

An excavation led to its discovery in 1945. After digging several feet underground, an ancient Shiva temple was found whose structure was similar to Kedarnath temple.

The temple was below the ground level and devotees had to go down to offer prayers in the temple. People say that some water from the Kheer Ganga would often drift onto the 'shivling' installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and a path had been created for it. There are stone carvings outside the temple.

The 'shivling' of the sanctum sanctorum is shaped like the back of Nandi, just like in Kedarnath temple.