Thousands throng the shrines to witness ritual closure of temples’ portals
PNS | DEHRADUN/UTTARKASHI
The portals of Kedarnath Dham in Rudraprayag district and Yamunotri Dham in Uttarkashi district were ceremoniously closed to the public on Sunday. Thousands of devotees thronged these temples on the occasion of their closure for the winter. Thousands of devotees were present in these two shrines as the Panchmukhi Utsav Doli of Lord Kedarnath and the Bhog Murti of Goddess Yamuna were carried from their shrines to their winter abodes.
In Kedarnath, the ceremony for the closure of the portals began early in the morning at about 4 AM. Following elaborate rituals and special prayers as devotees hailed Lord Kedarnath, the temple was closed at about 8:30 AM. More than 18,000 devotees were present in Kedarnath on the occasion. According to the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee chairman Ajendra Ajay more than 16.52 lakh people visited Kedarnath during the Char Dham Yatra season this year. The Panchmukhi Utsav Doli carried from Kedarnath will halt at various places before reaching the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath where the Lord will be worshipped during the winter months.
In Uttarkashi, the Yamunotri temple was closed amidst Vedic chanting at 12:05 PM on the occasion of Bhai Dooj. The process of closure of the temple started early in the morning. After the closure of the temple’s portals, the Bhog Murti of Goddess Yamuna was carried in a palanquin towards her winter abode in Kharsali village. Officials stated that with the closure of Gangotri on Saturday and Yamunotri on Sunday, the Char Dham Yatra season in Uttarkashi district has concluded successfully this year. Though the pilgrimage period here was 30 days shorter compared to the previous year the daily average number of devotees in these two temples this year increased by 713. Officials informed that a total of 15,30,028 people visited Gangotri and Yamunotri temples this year.
It is pertinent to mention here that three of the Char Dham have been closed to the public for the winter. With the closure of the Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri temples, only the Badrinath temple is still open. The Badrinath temple in Chamoli district is slated to be closed for the winter on November 17.
