KEDARNATH (UKD), May 2: The portals of Himalayan temple Kedarnath were opened on Friday, with more than 12,000 pilgrims attending the ceremony.
The gates of the temple located at a height of more than 11,000 ft were opened at 7 am, Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) officials said.
The Himalayan temple was adorned with 108 quintals of flowers of 54 varieties, including roses and marigoldsm brought from different countries like Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Of the four Char Dham temples Kedarnath, which is also the 11th Jyotirlinga, pulls the largest crowd of devotees. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
It is the third temple in the Char Dham circuit to be opened after the winter break. Gangotri and Yamunotri temples were opened on April 30 and Badrinath will open on May 4.
The process of opening the gates of Kedarnath began at 5 am, BKTC media in-charge Harish Gaur said.
Rawal (Chief Priest) Bhimashankar Ling, priest Bagesh Ling, Kedarnath MLA Asha Nautiyal, Rudraprayag’s District Magistrate Saurabh Gaharwar, BKTC Chief Executive Officer Vijay Prasad Thapliyal, Tirtha priest Srinivas Posti, religious leaders and Vedpathis entered the temple from the east gate and participated in the worship of the gate of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple before the portals were opened.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also attended the opening ceremony and was the first to perform a puja at the temple after the opening of its gates praying for the well-being and prosperity of all.
The temple, which is visited every year by lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad, remains closed during the winter months.
A 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.
All arrangements have been made for the aarti with ramps erected on three sides of the confluence for devotees to view the scene, he said. (Agencies)
