Portals of Kedarnath Dham opened for devotees

The portals of Kedarnath Dham, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, were opened for the devotees on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya on Friday.

Also Read: Char Dham Yatra 2024: How to register for pilgrimage and other details

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkhar Singh Dhami was present along with the numerous pilgrims from across the country at the holy shrine during the ceremonial opening of the temple after remaining closed during the winter season.

The ceremony was performed amid recital of bhajans and ‘Har Har Mahadev’ chants. Additionally, flowers were showered on the devotees standing in the queue by choppers.

Along with the Kedarnath Dham, the portals of Yamunotri temple, the revered source of the Yamuna river and Gangotri temple will be opened later today. Meanwhile, the Badrinath Dham, considered as Vaikuntha (Lord Vishnu's abode) on Earth, will be opened at 6 am on May 12.

CM Dhami also offered prayers on the opening of doors at Kedarnath Dham along with his wife Geeta Dhami Earlier on Friday, he extended warm wishes to the devotees arriving for the darshan at the holy shrines. He wished the pilgrims a safe and fulfilling journey while expressing hope that the event would be completed with joy and enthusiasm, as in previous years.

Also Read: Kedarnath Temple opening date announced | Check details here

Ahead of the opening of the temple, the abode of Lord Shiva was decorated 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 by barefoot Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC)volunteers on their shoulders every year, will be worshipped before the temple's portals are opened for devotees.

At a height of nearly 3,500 metres above sea level, Kedarnath temple is located near the Mandakini river in Rudraprayag district in Uttarakhand. On November 15, 2023, the doors of the temple were closed ahead of the winter season, and the event was witnessed by two thousand five hundred pilgrims.

Char Dham Yatra 2023

With over 20 lakh registrations for the Yatra so far, this year's Chardham Yatra is expected to attract a record number of devotees, further boosting Uttarakhand's tourism industry and promoting the spiritual and cultural heritage of the region on a global scale.

Also Read: Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Gangotri Dham set to welcome pilgrims in May

Char Dham yatra broke an all-time record last year with the number of pilgrims who undertook the pilgrimage crossing the 5.6 million mark. In 2022, over 4.6 million pilgrims had visited the four revered Himalayan shrines. The holy shrines hold profound spiritual significance in Hinduism.

Meanwhile, 245 pilgrims had died during the Char Dham journey due to health ailments and other issues last year. Of 245 pilgrims,120 deaths were reported on the Kedarnath Dham Yatra route, 46 deaths on the Badrinath Dham route, 30 deaths on the Gangotri Dham route and 39 on the Yamunotri Dham route.