Friday, 28 October 2022 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The portals of Kedarnath and Yamunotri temples were ritually closed to the public for the winter on the occasion of Bhai Dooj on Thursday.
The portals of Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district were closed at 8:30 AM. More than 2,500 devotees were present on the occasion. Earlier, the temple was opened at 4 AM after which the Samadhi Pujan ritual was started. The priest T Gangadhar Ling decked up the Shivling from the Sringar Roop to the Samadhi Roop. Following rituals the Garbh Grah (sanctum sanctorum) of the shrine and the doors of the temple were closed and sealed in the presence of the district administration officials. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami thanked the pilgrims on the occasion, stating that this year a record 45 lakh plus persons had undertaken the Char Dham Yatra. He said that the construction of the Gaurikund-Kedarnath ropeway will make the pilgrimage even more convenient. Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj opined that the Char Dham Yatra had concluded successfully due to the efforts of the State government with a record number of pilgrim footfalls being recorded in Kedarnath also.
Meanwhile, the Maratha Light Infantry band also played tunes at Kedarnath on the occasion as devotees hailed the lord. The Panchmukhi idol of the lord was ceremoniously taken towards the winter abode of Kedarnath at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath. After various stops, the procession with the lord’s Panchmukhi idol will reach Ukhimath on October 29. According to the officials, a total of 15,61,882 persons visited the Kedarnath temple this year.
In Uttarkashi district, the Yamunotri temple was also closed to the public for the winters on Thursday, a day after the closure of the Gangotri temple. The portals of the temple were closed ritually at 12:09 PM. For the ritual closure of the temple, the brother of goddess Yamuna, Shanidev Someshwar Devta arrived in palanquins to take their sister to her winter abode of Kharsali. According to officials, a total of 4.86 lakh persons visited the Yamunotri temple this year. The Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee media in-charge Harish Gaur informed that with three of the four Char Dham shrines now closed, the last shrine- Badrinath will be ceremoniously closed for the winter on November 19.
