Portals of Kedarnath Dham Open for Devotees

Dehradun: The doors of Shri Kedarnath Dham, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, were opened on Friday with full rituals amid Vedic chanting of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ by the devotees.

The ritual was attended by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami along with his wife Geeta Dhami. They marked their presence for the darshan of Baba Kedarnath at the time of the opening of the temple doors. 

The opening of the shrine coincides with the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya. A huge crowd gathered from across the country at the holy shrine during the ceremonial opening of the temple after remaining closed during the winter season.

Temple Embellished With 20 Quintals of Flowers

Ahead of the ceremonial opening, the temple was embellished with 20 quintals of flowers, according to the president of the Badrinath-Kedarnath temple Committee.

The five-faced idol of Baba Kedar, the Panchmukhi Doli, which is carried from its winter abode at Ukhimath's Omkareshwar temple to Kedarnath, reached Kedarnath Dham amid the beating of traditional drums and the devotional tunes played by the Army Band at 4.45 pm on Thursday. The idol, which is carried barefoot by the volunteers of Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) on their shoulders every year, was worshipped before the temple's portals were opened for devotees.

CM's Video Message

In a video message on X, CM Dhami urged the devotees visiting the holy shrine to undertake the Chardham Yatra to maintain cleanliness during the journey. He asked visitors to refrain from using single-use plastic.

He tweeted, “Hearty welcome and greetings to all devotees in Chardham Yatra 2024. All of you are requested to take special care of cleanliness during the journey, avoid using single use plastic. Our government has made special arrangements for the safety of the elderly, women and children visiting Chardham.”

Apart from the Kedarnath Dham, the portals of Yamunotri temple, the source of the Yamuna river, were also thrown open for devotees.

The portals of Gangotri temple will be opened at 12.20 pm later in the day. Meanwhile, the Badrinath Dham, considered as Vaikuntha (Lord Vishnu's abode) on Earth, will be opened on May 12.