Nahan, May 12
After battling extreme weather conditions and heavy snowfall at an altitude of nearly 11,965 feet above sea level, volunteers of the Chureshwar Seva Samiti have almost restored the drinking water supply at the famous Churdhar shrine in Himachal Pradesh. The restoration work has been underway for several days ahead of the resumption of the annual langar service scheduled to begin from May 15.
The water supply at the shrine had remained disrupted for nearly six months due to massive snowfall during the winter season. In many places, pipelines remained buried under three to seven feet thick layers of snow, making restoration a difficult and risky task.
Despite freezing temperatures and harsh conditions, volunteers have been working day and night to reconnect the damaged and frozen pipelines. In several stretches, the pipes were completely frozen, requiring hours of manual effort to restore the water flow.
The committee members said that ensuring drinking water supply before May 15 was their top priority as hundreds of devotees have already started arriving daily at Churdhar. In the absence of the langar facility, pilgrims were being forced to depend on costly food available at roadside dhabas.
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Chureshwar Seva Samiti manager Babu Ram Sharma said the langar service would formally resume on May 15 and devotees would once again receive free food and accommodation facilities at the shrine. He added that heavy snowfall had also damaged sanitation facilities, forcing closure of all toilets at the shrine complex. However, two toilets meant for women devotees have already been reopened, while restoration work on the remaining facilities is progressing rapidly.
It is worthwhile to mention that the revered Churdhar shrine generally remains closed for nearly six months every year after heavy snowfall during November and December, cutting off the peak from normal pilgrimage activities throughout winter.
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