Is it a Miracle or Architectural Engineering that saved Kedarnath temple from destruction?

22nd June 2013
I am disheartened, pained, shocked and grieved at seeing this massive destruction caused by the natural phenomenon resulting in great loss of human lives and devastation of unprecedented magnitude to the immovable properties all around the Temple structure.But at the same time I am proud of our heritage and marvel at the creation of the Kedarnath Temple complex which was built about 1200yrs ago. Imagine today in this age of high technology we find it difficult to even reach the temple place by foot or by horse /pony ride etc, many people take helicopter ride to & fro for the darshan , nothing great, but building a temple at a height of more than 10000 ft is a marvel of Architectural Engineering and Human endevour, and more so amazed at when it stays intact even after recent nature's outburst because such and similar occurrences may have happened several times in the past in these 1200yrs of its existence.

Beautiful serene view of the Kedarnath Temple with backdrop of Kedarnath Mount , 

Image taken some 50/60yrs ago.

 

Kedarnath Temple Aeriel View before the Devastation.

Many people say it's a miracle of God that the Kedarnath Shrine, The Temple and the Nandi outside the Temple is intact inspite of the magnitude of destruction all around the Temple.           I would say the other way , the God was saved because of the Sound Architectural Engineering of the builders of this Temple, constructed some 1200yrs ago. I personally marvel at it's creation , It can be considered as one of the greatest man made wonders of the world. Such was the power of the Temple that those pilgrims who were inside the temple at the time of the cloud burst & tragedy have survived.

God will not show you mercy if your building or any structure is of inferior quality or does not possesses sound engineering, god will not save you if you go against the principles of  Nature (God), God will not save you if you counter the natural course of rivers and oceans. God will not save you if you destroy the forest and eco systems on earth.
After this destruction, many people have described it as a Himalayan Tsunami, I would say it is a Human Tsunami, most people have this question in minds that will a similar catastrophe become the reason for the world to come to an end? All religious scriptures have mentioned about destruction of earth. It is an age-old belief that one day the whole world will be destroyed.
Every religion has defined Holocaust in different ways. Till now many times forecasts have been made about the devastation. As per some texts, the destruction of the world will be due to water when there will be water everywhere flooding the earth.

According to the Hindu Religious scriptures, with the creation of the universe, there are beliefs about its destruction as well. According to Shrimadbhagwat, it is believed that the universe will end after two eons. Eons mean 2,000 Chataryug. Chataryug implies to the Satyug, Tretayaug, Dwaparyug and Kalyug. So when the four yugs complete one cycle thousand times, it is one eon. Similarly, upon completion of the second eon comes Holocaust i.e. destruction of creation.  After this re-creation happens and the same trend continues.
The Kedarnath temple is one of the most revered shrines in India and is visited by millions of devotees every year. An appeal to all Hindu devotees and those who follow Hinduism around  should come forward and donate generously to  the “Kedarnath Temple Trust” for the restoration of this beautiful Temple. Also , all are requested to donate for the affected people of the Uttarkhand to any recognized Disaster Relief Fund.
On personal count, I am donating Rs1100/- for the disaster affected people and Rs.1500/- for the restoration of Temple.

Article by

Shekhar Bopardikar  

Architect &

Nature and WildLife Photographer

On SHIV’s 1st Birthday

On SHIV’s 1^st Birthday
13th March 

One year ago on this day your  parents received  a  most  precious gift , one that has made the entire ancestry  rich and whole. I don’t know exactly sitting far away from your birthplace, but I can guess that your mother  was getting a little impatient… okay maybe more than just a little. But the impatience paid off preciously, with the little punch here and there inside your mother’s womb you  arrived on this historic day.

           I can imagine that the hours that followed must have been  filled with complete and total bliss. Once you were brought  to your new home , your  parents sat on big King size bed and just stared at you and your perfection , and must have been over the moon excited to talk with  you sitting next to you touching your sweet hands and feet.

    You inherited your mother’s gentle and sparkling eyes that provide a window to your pure soul, and sharpness  of your father , they  named you ‘SHIV’ which indicates love, justice and wisdom or intelligence. I am sure you will embody these qualities in your life apt to your name flawlessly.

Right from the day of your arrival in Mumbai at Dixit Nivas , you captured the hearts of all of us. For the next  5 weeks of your presence,  I’ve watched you grow and develop your own little personality. How Your two little dimples on each side of your cheeks made everyone giggle  and  all of your near and dear ones used to fray over  you  everyday.

Your Mom must be feeling , If there was an award for the ‘Best Hugger’, you would win hands-down. She Just can’t get enough of your baby bear hugs and butterfly kisses that you give her throughout the day. I hope you never lose the ability to show affection so boundlessly. Your innocence and the love that you show everyone in our family is a blessing to your mother that she will never take for granted.

Your wonder and awe of everything around you never ceases to amaze everybody. You see everything for what it is as a whole without any other thought. You are so completely present in every situation and because of that you are able to appreciate the little things in your life so fully. By this way you are continuously in the process of  teaching  your parents  something new and wonderful. Every day when they will wake up and see your beautiful face they will be inspired to become a better mom and a better father.

Today I know that your life has made such a profound difference in your parents lives. You have made the world a better place to them  just by being there. I can only imagine what amazing things you will do and accomplish in the future, because at just one-year-old you are living life to the fullest.

Dear Shiv, I love you to the moon and back and then to infinity and beyond!!

Happy Birthday my dear ! love you more than words  can say, always and forever !!

 Yours

SHEKHAR KAKA AJOBA
13th March 2013