Stunning pictures of Joshimath before it started sinking

Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath, is a city in Chamoli District in Uttarakhand. Located at a height of 6150 feet in the Garhwal Himalayas, it is a gateway to several Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions, trekking trails, Auli, Valley of Flowers, and pilgrim centres like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib

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Joshimath is where one of the four maths was established by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th-century. Joshimath Cantonment is the permanent station of 'The Garhwal Scouts', the closest army station to the Indo-Tibetan Border which was used as a base camp for the rescue of the victims of 2013 Kedarnath floods

With the land subsidence continuing at Joshimath town of Uttarakhand, the town settled on approximately 500-metre debris of past landslides, a major reason for its low soil-bearing capacity and possibly a factor behind the sinking of the town. In pic: Local women carrying woods to their village

According to the data provided by the administration, cracks have been witnessed in 678 houses and about 81 families have been relocated so far; let's see how this beautiful town used to look like before it started sinking

It is a religious hub and a popular hill station. Vishnuprayag where the two powerful rivers of Alaknanda and Dhauliganga meet overlooks the beauty of the town of Joshimath. In pic: Merag Valley in Joshimath

The most popular places in Joshimath are Ghangria, the Nanda Devi National park, Tapovan and all the temples located in the vibrant town. In pic: Joshimath after snowfall

Joshimath is also the winter seat of Lord Badri whose idol is traversed from Badrinath temple to Vasudev temple here. In pic: Early morning view of the mighty snowy cliffs from Joshimath

There is a magnanimous sacred Kalpvriksha here which is said to be more than 1200 years old. In pic: Winding roads to Joshimath

Joshimath has a Narsimha temple who is considered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. In pic: Joshimath in monsoon

The famous Valley of Flowers trek starts at Govindghat which is only 26 kms from Joshimath. In pic: River Alaknanda from Badrinath to Joshimath (near Vishuprayag)

Nanda Devi Biosphere, a UNESCO World Heritage site can be easily accessed from Joshimath. In pic: Road from Joshimath to Badrinath

A cable car from Joshimath to Auli Ski Resort where both amateur and professional skiers can ski in snowy slopes during the winter season. In pic: Joshimath Cable Car to Auli

Joshimath is a religious, spiritual and thrilling place- all in one. In pic: Joshimath covered with snow

Due to man-made activities like unplanned infrastructure development, hydro projects, construction of town over landslides debris lead to the sinking to the beautiful Joshimath. In pic: Roads from Chamoli to Joshimath