This two

This two-photo shot of Kedarnath village gives a general sense of the natural forces that have limited the town's growth. The semicircle in the bottom center is a large retaining wall, and outside it are a series of large "cubes" made of thick wire mesh filled with rocks. The pathways at the bottom of the photo are elevated five or six feet above the surrounding ground level. From these, it seems clear that the region below the present town gets too much water to enable building there. Above the town is the Mandakini River gorge, which rises up steeply on the other side. The most significant recent construction has been the rows of huts lining the footpath (visible at center right). The large building nearest to the retaining wall is a Government Dispensary--built by the largest player in the nation, the Indian government.

These natural features have severely limited the size of the town, but they have also helped to retain some of its character. This was the only site among the three in which the primary temple (at the top left, more visible in the larger photo) was still the focal point of the town. At both Gangotri and Badrinath, the temples were certainly important, but were lost (or at least rendered insignificant) in the larger towns.