The school is one of the four Sanskrit schools set up by the erstwhile maharaja of Tehri to ensure that the la... Read More

TEHRI: Mukhem is a small village in the picturesque mountainous district of Tehri Garhwal which is famous for two things - an ancient Nagaraja temple dedicated to the king of snakes and a Sanskrit school established by the erstwhile maharaja of Tehri almost 80 years ago which was subsequently taken over by the state government.

While the biennial fair held to honour Nagaraja still attracts thousands of devotees, the Rajkiya Sanskrit Vidyalayais in shambles and has not seen students for almost a decade.

Old-timers at the village say that the school is one of the four Sanskrit schools set up by the maharaja to ensure that the language stays alive.

"The maharaja had established these schools in all the Brahmin villages so that the villagers could learn Sanskrit and read the ancient texts. After the government took over the school, no teacher was appointed here for several years," says Nagendra Dutt Semwal, former priest.

