
The portals of Kedarnath Dham, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, were opened for the devotees amid the chants of “Har Har Mahadev" on Friday.
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. A band of the Indian Army’s Garhwal Rifles also played devotional tunes on the occasion. Additionally, flower petals were showered on the devotees standing in the queue by choppers.
Earlier on Wednesday, the portals of Yamunotri temple, the revered source of the Yamuna river and Gangotri temple were opened for the devotees on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya. The gates of Gangotri were opened at 10.30 am and those of Yamunotri at 11.55 am amid traditional rituals, committees running the affairs of the temples said.
Meanwhile, the Badrinath Dham, considered as Vaikuntha (Lord Vishnu’s abode) on Earth, will be opened at 6 am on May 4.
Earlier today, CM Dhami 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.
An attractive new feature for the pilgrims in Kedarnath this time would be a grand “aarti" on the lines of Ganga Aarti in Varanasi, Haridwar and Rishikesh to be performed at the confluence of the Mandakini and Saraswati rivers near the temple, BKTC CEO Vijay Thapliyal said.
Ahead of the opening of the temple, the abode of Lord Shiva was decorated with 108 quintals of assorted flowers brought from across the country and abroad to befit the occasion.
More than 150 volunteers have worked day and night to decorate the temple and each one of them feel blessed to have got an opportunity to serve Lord Shiva.
Fifty-four varieties of flowers, including roses and marigolds, brought from Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka, and from places across India including Delhi, Kashmir, Pune, Kolkata and Patna have been used to adorn the temple, said Srijal Vyas from Vadodara in Gujarat who leads the volunteers engaged in decorating the temple.
Marigold flowers are especially brought from a Kolkata village as unlike the local variety they do not wilt quickly, lasting for 10-15 days on an average, Vyas said. “We had a tough time coming here. Our trains were cancelled and many of us had to come by air. In the absence of horses we faced difficulty in bringing around 80 quintals of flowers to these heights to decorate the temple," he said.
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 on Thursday.
The idol, which is carried by barefoot Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC)volunteers on their shoulders every year, was worshipped before the temple’s portals were 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 3, 2024, the doors of the temple were closed ahead of the winter season, and the event was witnessed by thousands of pilgrims.
Source: ANI