This One Ritual Saved Half Of Dharali Villagers As Flash Floods Struck Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi
As a major tragedy struck a village in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi on August 5 due to a cloudburst, half of the villagers remained untouched. The reason was a very local and small annual custom.
On the morning of the incident, many residents had crossed a narrow bridge to attend Hardoodh, a ritual held each monsoon in reverence of Naag Devta, the serpent deity associated with rivers, rain and protection. As the community gathered under a hillside temple with offerings of flowers and milk, a sudden torrent tore through the opposite side of the village.
“Had people been inside their homes, the loss would have been unimaginable,” said local resident Sanjay Singh Pawar. “It was divine intervention,” added Kavita Kumari, echoing the sentiment that faith may have saved them.
The festival isn’t listed in guidebooks or tourist maps. It survives purely through tradition which is passed from one generation to the next in villages like Dharali and Jhala, where it’s observed quietly each Sawan. This year, the date unknowingly coincided with the cloudburst.
A man from nearby Jhala, who had joined the ritual, pointed to the flattened terrain across the stream. “We were offering prayers. That side… that’s where the pain is,” he said.
What Led To Uttarakhand Flash Flood
Experts believe the flash flood was triggered by a glacial breach. Geologist MPS Bisht from Garhwal University noted that the destruction was starkly uneven. “The side that suffered was built too close to the river, on unstable ground. Nature followed its course.”
While the festival offered protection, the tragedy also raised deeper questions about unchecked construction near vulnerable riverbeds, a growing concern in the Himalayan region.
