RUDRAPRAYAG, MAY 10: Amidst chanting of hyman and ceremonial rituals, the doors of Kedarnath Dham, one of the country’s oldest and most revered pilgrimage sites, were thrown open to devotees at 7 am Friday, after a gap of six months.
A large number of devotees who had gathered there chanted ‘Har Har Mahadev’ when the portals were thrown open for darshan of Lord Shiva.
As the doors of Shri Kedarnath Dham opened, helicopters flying overhead showered petals on the shrine.
Decorated with 40 quintals of petals, Kedarnath – the abode of Lord Shiva, draws countless devotees from across the country and even abroad during the next months it remains open for darshan.
The high-altitude shrines remain shut for six months every year, opening in summer (April or May) and closing at the onset of winter (October or November).
The Uttarakhand Chief Minister In a post on X, posted a video clip of the Kedarnath temple with a song playing in the background and tagged his post with a caption that simply read, “Jai Shree Kedar.”
The doors of Gangotri, and Yamunotri were also opened on Friday on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya, while the doors of Badrinath Dham will be thrown open on May 12.
Earlier, Lord Kedarnath’s Panchmukhi Doli departed for Kedarnath Dham from its third stop Gauramai Temple in Gaurikund.
On May 6, the Devdoli reached Shri Omkareshwar Temple Ukhimath from Shri Vishwanath Temple Guptkashi for its stay and reached its second stop Phata the day after, on May 7.
The Char Dham Yatra holds profound spiritual significance in Hinduism. This journey typically occurs from April-May to October-November.
It is believed that one should complete the Char Dham Yatra in a clockwise direction. Hence, the pilgrimage starts from Yamunotri, proceeds towards Gangotri, onto Kedarnath, and finally ends at Badrinath.
The journey can be completed by road or by air (helicopter services are available). Some devotees even do a Do Dham Yatra or a pilgrimage to two shrines, Kedarnath and Badrinath, as per the Uttarakhand tourism official website.
The Char Dham Yatra, or pilgrimage, is a tour of four holy sites: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. In Hindi, ‘char’ means four and ‘dham’ refers to religious destinations, as per the Uttarakhand tourism official website. (With inputs from Agencies).