Sunday, 07 November 2021 | PNS | Dehradun/New Tehri
The portals of Kedarnath and Yamunotri shrines were ritually closed to the public for the winters on Saturday.
In Kedarnath the rituals for ceremonial closure of the portals began in the wee hours. At 6 AM, the temple priest Bagesh Ling invoked the guardian of Kedarnath, lord Bhairavnath and established lord Kedarnath in his Samadhi form after covering him with Vibhuti and flowers. At 8 AM the main door of the temple was closed for the winter. A large number of devotees were also present on the occasion. From the temple, the palanquin carrying the Panchmukhi idol of the lord circumambulated the temple while the army band played tunes. The procession then departed towards the lord’s winter abode- Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath- which it will reach after halting at various locations. The Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board media in-charge Harish Gaur informed that the procession of the lord departed for the first stop Rampur from where it will reach the Vishwanath temple in Guptkashi on November 7 and then the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath on November 8 where the lord will be ritually worshipped during the winter.
At Yamunotri, the portals of the shrine were ritually closed for the winter at 12:15 PM. A large number of devotees were present on the occasion when the palanquin of goddess Yamuna departed from the shrine towards his winter abode at Kharsali. With this, three of the Char Dhams in Uttarakhand- Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are now closed for the winters.
