Uttarkashi: Baba Baukhnag, a revered deity in Uttarkashi’s Silkyara, gained significant attention when 41 workers were trapped inside an under-construction tunnel in November last year. According to locals, the collapse was seen as a result of Baba’s wrath due to the demolition of his temple for the tunnel construction.
Subsequently, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, along with other officials and construction personnel, prayed to Baba Baukhnag for the safe rescue of the workers and promised to construct a new temple at the tunnel entrance. Following the prayers, the rescue operation was successful, and all the workers were safely brought out. Now, the temple is nearing completion, and all passengers traveling through the tunnel will receive the blessings of Baba Baukhnag.
Faith and technology, both played significant role in rescue operation
In the effort to rescue the 41 workers trapped in Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel, both technology and faith were at play. Following the tunnel collapse, the company management had established a temple dedicated to Baukh Nag Devta outside the tunnel under pressure from local villagers. Then, Ganesh Prasad, the priest of Baukhnag Devta and believed to be possessed by the deity, assured that the deity would protect those trapped inside and that everyone would be safely rescued soon. He has called upon the government and administration to construct a grand temple for Baba Baukhnag Devta near the tunnel.
He is the patron deity of three local regions, including Silkyara
Baba Baukhnath is the patron deity of three local regions, including Silkyara. This temple is dedicated to Nagraj, with Baukhnag Devta revered as the protector of the area. Villagers attribute the tunnel accident to the deity’s displeasure due to the previous demolition of the temple for tunnel construction. They demand that space near the tunnel be reserved for building Baba Baukhnag’s temple to ensure everyone’s safety.
Construction company sought help from deity
Last year, a landslide accident trapped 41 workers inside the Silkyara tunnel. Despite repeated obstacles in the rescue operation, officials from Navayuga, the company overseeing the tunnel’s construction, sought help from the priest of Baba Baukhnag in Bhatia village. Baba Baukhnag is highly revered in the region, with a grand fair held in his honor every Mangsir month.
The temple is now nearing the completion
Amid ongoing rescue operation, Baba Baukhnag predicted that all the trapped workers would be safely rescued within three days, a prediction that came true, bolstering people’s faith in the deity. Initially, the location for Baba Baukhnag’s temple near the Silkyara tunnel was not chosen, but following the accident, the site was selected, and construction began. The temple is now nearing completion and final touches are being applied, and soon, travelers passing through the under-construction Silkyara tunnel on the Yamunotri Highway will receive the blessings of Baba Baukhnag Deity. “The civil structure of the temple is almost completed, with only the finishing work, such as tiling, electrical work, and painting, remaining,” said Rajesh Panwar, Project Manager at Navayuga Company. “We have built it at the site where Lord Shiva’s shape emerged due to water leakage from the mountains.”
