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‘Godman’ builds temple at 16,000 feet on Uttarakhand glacier, probe begins
Self styled godman, Baba Yogi Chaitanya Akash, built an unauthorised shrine atop a Uttarakhand glacier after claiming he received divine instructions in a dream
A self-styled godman, Baba Yogi Chaitanya Akash, has built an unauthorised shrine at 16,500 feet on a government land on the Sunderdhunga glacier in Bageshwar, Uttarkahand, The Times of India reported.
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The ‘baba’ claimed to have received divine instructions to build a temple there through a dream, despite the region being ecologically sensitive.
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One of the villagers in the region, Mahendra Singh Dhami, spoke to the newspaper, saying, “The baba convinced the villagers to support the project, saying Devi Bhagwati appeared in his dreams and directed him to build the temple at Devi Kund.”
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Mahendra Singh Dhami, also claimed, that the Kund - which was once a sacred spot for the villagers - has now been turned into a “swimming pool” for the baba. “He can often be seen bathing there. It is desecration. There is no doubt about that,” he added.
Another resident, Prakash Kumar, also told TOI, that this amounted to blasphemy. “For centuries, our deities have visited the Kund during the Nanda Raj Yatra every 12 years. Now, this so-called baba has misled villagers and established this temple against our traditions.”
The local administration has started investigating the temple, only after the temple was built. Kapkot sub-divisional magistrate Anurag Arya said, “I became aware of this issue only recently.”
Anurag Arya also said officers from the revenue, forest and police department would soon remove the encroachment and take action against the godman.
The issue has raised concern about how easily encroachment in sensitive areas can be carried out at the cost of locals, and without the knowledge of officials.
