Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand): The doors of Kedarnath Dham, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, were opened today at 7:15 am for the devotees on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya on Friday.
On this occasion, which the Hindu pilgrims were eagerly waiting for, the temple was decorated with 24 quintals of flowers. The doors were opened in the presence of Shankaracharya Avimukteshwarananda, Kedarnath Rawal Bhimashankar Linga, Chief Priest Shiv Shankar Linga, administration, BKTC officials and hundreds of pilgrims.
"Chants of 'Har Har Mahadev' rang out from among the crowd of devotees, who gathered for the ceremony, as the portals were thrown open to the chanting of shlokas (hymns).
The lock of the main gate was opened in the presence of the administration early morning followed by the opening of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, along with his wife Geeta Dhami, were also present for the darshan of Baba Kedarnath at the time of the opening of the temple doors. The CM also conducted an on-site inspection of the preparations made for the convenience of the devotees.
"I welcome all the devotees. I pray to god that you all have a happy journey and your wishes be fulfilled... you all are welcome," Dhami greeted all the devotees.
"Devotees and pilgrims keep waiting for this Yatra. That holy day arrived day and the doors opened. Devotees have arrived here in large numbers. All arrangements have been made...I extend my greeting to everyone and welcome them all...First puja was performed here in the name of PM Modi. Darshan has begun with complete rituals. After he became the PM, work for the completion of redevelopment of Baba Kedar temple is being done in three phases. Our effort is to see that it is completed soon," he further said.
While the doors of Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri were opened on Friday, the doors of Badrinath Dham will be thrown open on May 12. As the doors of Shri Kedarnath Dham opened, helicopters flying overhead showered petals on the shrine.
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 15, 2023, the doors of the temple were closed ahead of the winter season.
On May 9, the five-faced idol of Baba Kedar, was carried from its winter abode at Ukhimath's Omkareshwar temple to Kedarnath, and was reinstalled inside the temple amid elaborate rituals.
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