On 16-17 June 2013, Kedarnath suffered multiple flash floods caused by almost 13 inches of rain.  The first came on the evening of the 16th,  and was caused by runoff from the hills at right.  At 7 the next morning a glacial lake above the town burst its banks, sending a nine-foot high wall of water and debris through the town (its path is visible at the top left).  Thousands died, though the exact number is unknown.

The locals who survived suffered multiple traumas: being forced (by their work) to return to the site of the disaster, living in half-ruined buildings with no water or electricity, , and--since visitor arrivals were 90% lower than in 2013--earning no money in 2014. 

This protective boulder, now dubbed the Divya Bhim Shila (Divine Bhim Stone), has become a small shrine in its own right, to mark what is viewed as a miracle.  The side of the rock has been smeared with the red powder known as sindur, and the decorated trident placed to one side. 

Bhima was one of the five Pandava brothers in the epic Mahabharata, and since he was known for his prodigious size and strength, this seems an appropriate identification with this stone. 

The temple had little visible damage--a few stones knocked off the back, and some cracks on the upper right facade--but structural assessments are ongoing.   The temple's construction is unusually strong, since each block is secured by metal pin into the blocks below it (like a Lego joint).  

The men with the orange dhotis are Kedarnath pandas (hereditary pilgrimage priests).  Aside from them the town had no businesses whatsoever in 2014--not even a tea stand, much less a hotel or restaurant.  Since the pandas' work is tied to this particular place, the flood has gravely affect them--many of them lost buildings and property in the flooding, and all have suffered from the disastrous decline in visitor numbers.