Portals of Kedarnath Dham open to devotees today
The holy doors of Kedarnath Dham which is dedicated to Lord Shiva have been opened for devotees today at 6:30 am with a special puja. The portals of the Dham were opened by chief temple priest Jagadguru Rawal Bhima Shankar Ling Shivacharya. However, bad weather conditions including heavy snowfall have put a big question mark on the Char Dham Yatra to the shrine.
A fresh yellow warning of avalanche was issued on Monday
On Monday, the Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment issued a fresh yellow warning of an avalanche owing to the intermittent snowfall over the past three days. "Hundreds of pilgrims have been asked to wait in Rishikesh, Gaurikund, Guptkashi, and Sonprayag till an improvement in the weather," the officials said. "The pilgrims have been stopped at Bhadrakali and Vyasi," Tehri SSP Navneet Singh Bhullar said.
Fresh registrations of pilgrims have been closed till April 30
According to officials, devotees who have already reached Kedarnath can witness the ceremonial opening at the temple doors. However, fresh registration of pilgrims for Kedarnath was closed by the Uttarakhand government on Sunday till April 30 after rain and snowfall were predicted by the Meteorological Office till April 29. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached Guptkashi to check the arrangements for pilgrims.
The temple has been decorated with 35 quintals of flowers
The opening time and date of the Kedarnath shrine are decided by the priests of Ukhimath's Omkareshwar Temple according to the Panchang. The opening and closing dates were announced on Maha Shivratri. The gates will close on November 14, 2023. Around 35 quintals of flowers have been used to decorate the temple and Baba Kedar's Panchmukhi Chal Vigraha Doli reached the Dham on Monday.
How to visit the temple
First, devotees need to book the Kedarnath Yatra by registering themselves through the official websites of Badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in and https://uttarakhandtourism.gov.in. Next, devotees must download their E-passes through the same website. People can travel by helicopter from Phata, Sersi, Sitapur, and Guptkashi. All routes to the shrine are closed during winter for six months when there is heavy rainfall.
