News Brief
Uttarakhand Chardham Yatra Begins: Chants Of 'Har Har Mahadev' Echo As Kedarnath Temple Portals Open After Six Months
Shri Kedarnath Dham, Uttarakhand
The sacred portals of Kedarnath Dham, one of India's oldest and most revered pilgrimage sites, were opened to devotees on Friday after a six-month winter closure.
The ceremony featured the chanting of Vedic mantras and "Har Har Mahadev" by the gathered devotees, celebrating the reopening.
The shrine of Lord Shiva was specially decorated with 40 quintals of flower petals for the occasion.
The doors of the temple were opened at 7 am, allowing devotees their first darshan of the deity after a gap of nearly six months.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, accompanied by his wife Geeta Dhami, participated in the early morning darshan.
Kedarnath is one of the Chardham (four dhams) in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.
As the doors of Kedarnath opened, helicopters showered petals over the shrine.
These high-altitude shrines are part of the Char Dham Yatra, which is of great spiritual significance in Hinduism.
The pilgrimage to the four holy sites—Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath—typically takes place from April or May to October or November each year, corresponding to the summer and early winter months.
In the days leading up to the opening, the Panchmukhi Doli of Lord Kedarnath started its journey on 6 May from Shri Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath, the winter abode of Baba Kedarnath, to Gaurikund and then to Kedarnath dham.
