Uttarakhand: After Gangotri And Yamunotri, Portals Of Baba Kedarnath Temple To Open Tomorrow Amid Lockdown

Amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide lockdown, the portals of holy Himalayan shrine of Baba Kedarnath in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district will open on Wednesday (29 April).

The portals of the Kedarnath temple, one of the Chardham in the state, remain closed for around six months due to the heavy snowfall. After the closing of the portals, the idol of Lord Kedarnath is shifted to his winter abode of Ukhimath, where the deity is worshipped for the next six months.

Earlier on Sunday (26 April), the palanquin carrying the idol of Baba Kedarnath began its journey from Ukhimath to the temple.

Lord Kedar’s idol was scheduled to reach the temple town of Kedarnath on Tuesday (28 April), after an overnight stay at Bhimbali. However, on the directions of the administration, the idol was shifted to Kedarnath on Monday (27 April).

On Wednesday, the portals of the temple will be opened with all religious rituals and chanting of Vedic mantras at 6.10 am, after which the idol of the deity will be placed in the shrine.

However, due to the nationwide lockdown, the pilgrimage to the Chardham, including the Kedarnath shrine is not allowed.

Earlier, the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri temples were opened on 26 April.

The state government has earlier changed the opening date of the Badrinath temple’s portals from 30 April to 15 May due to the lockdown. However, the portal-opening date of Baba Kedar’s temple was kept unchanged to 29 April after consultation with Teerth Purohits.