Dhari Devi Temple, Kalyasaur – Legends

Dhari Devi Temple, Kalyasaur – Legends

Idol found on Alaknanda River:

The upper half of an idol of a diety came flowing down along the Alaknanda river and settled here. Since then the idol is worshipped here in the form of Goddess Dhari. The lower half of the idol is located in Kalimath, where she is worshipped as a manifestation of the Goddess Kali. As per religious tradition Kalimath is the place where Goddess Kali killed the demon Raktabija and after that the goddess had gone under the earth.

Changing of Appearances:

The Goddess is believed to change appearance during the day. According to local lore, the deity changes appearance from a girl, to a woman, and then to an old lady.

2013 Uttarakhand Floods:

The original temple of the goddess was demolished on June 16, 2013, to give way to the construction of the 330 MW Alaknanda Hydro Electric Dam built by Alaknanda Hydro Power Company Ltd (AHPCL), a subsidiary of infrastructure major, GVK. Incidentally, Hours after the idol was moved, the region faced what would become one of the country’s worst natural disasters since the 2004 tsunami. The 2013 North India floods were caused by a multi-day cloudburst resulting in devastating floods and landslides washing away the entire shrine town and killing hundreds of people. Locals and devotees believe, Uttarakhand had to face the Goddess’ ire as she was shifted from her ‘Mool Sthan’ (original abode) to make way for a 330 MW hydel project that was left in ruins after the flood.