Landslides threaten ancient Shiva temple

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, August 1

Landslides near the ancient Shiva Temple in Baijnath, 20 km from here, have posed a grave threat to the 800-year-old historical monument. If no steps are taken, the temple, which was built in 1204, could suffer heavy damage this rainy season. The temple is visited by lakhs of foreign and domestic tourists every year.

The retaining wall of the temple is on the verge of collapse. A portion of the temple on the left bank of the Binwa has developed cracks because of soil erosion and landslides. Earlier, too, the temple faced a threat to its existence because of landslides. In 2016, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had sanctioned Rs 5 crore for its maintenance. However, no repair was done and the situation moved from bad to worse. The historical monument has the essential features of Nagara temples and lies on the Kullu-Lahaul Spiti road, an ancient route to Central Asia.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has spent lakhs of rupees on the maintenance of the temple over 10 years. The government has constituted a trust to manage its affairs and the SDM, Baijnath, is its president.

Local residents allege that the major damage to the complex has been caused by illegal mining in the Binwa. Though the government and the high court have imposed a ban on mining in the river, it’s been going on unabated.

The SDM, Baijnath, says he is aware of the situation and ASI officials have been informed about the damage caused to the temple due to the recent rains.