When one had almost reached the Hindu shrine of Kedarnath, there used to be a point along the footpath following the Mandakini River where, in good weather, the top of the temple came into view against the backdrop of a bright, wide Himalayan panorama. In the related languages of Hindi and Garhwali, such vantage points bear the title of “Sight-of-God” (Hindi: devdarshini, deodekhni). Devdarshini is the point from which you are first able to glimpse the deity of a particular place, in this case Shiva in his Kedarnath form. Before June of 2013, devdarshini was located above the western bank of the Mandakini River, about two kilometers from the temple and twelve kilometers from the beginning of the footpath in the village of Gaurikund. The temple of Kedarnath lies on the valley floor at almost 3,600 meters above sea level, enfolded on three sides by mountains. Almost all travelers to Kedarnath, from perennial residents to first-time visitors to non-Indian regular visitors such as myself, used to stop at devdarshini to catch their breath, encounter the view, and take stock of the place where they were about to arrive.