Dehradun: Uttarakhand's lifeline and world-famous Chardham Yatra begins on April 26 with the opening of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham gate on Akshaya Tritiya. But due to the lockdown, to open the doors of Chardham and complete necessary arrangements, the government will have to soon airlift priests from Karnataka and Kerala.
The doors of the temples will be opened as per the calendar and auspicious time, but it is not certain as to when the devotees would be able to reach the pilgrimage centres. The gates to Gangotri and Yamunotri would be opened on April 26. With this, the Kedarnath will be thrown open on April 29 and Badrinath on April 30 following the full religious rites and rituals.
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The gates of Gangotri and Yamunotri out of the four pilgrimage centres of Uttarakhand are opened by the priests of Semwal and Uniyal communities who follow all the requisite religious rites and rituals. However, the custom for Kedarnath and Badrinath is different.
The door of Kedarnath is opened by the Lingayat priests from Karnataka while the door of Badrinath is opened by the Namboodiri priests of Kerala. The priests of both these pilgrimage centres are at present locked down in Karnataka and Kerala. Therefore, the state government is working on the plan to bring them to Uttarakhand.
According to state minister Dhan Singh Rawat, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat will soon decide on the arrangements for all the four pilgrimage centres. The Chief Minister is scheduled to hold an important meeting in this regard soon.
The meeting will discuss the way to follow social distancing while following religious rituals and rites. Dhan Singh Rawat said he will urge the chief minister to be present for the opening of the doors of all the four pilgrimage centres.
According to priest Ashutosh Dimri, the doors of Gangotri and Yamunotri will be thrown open on April 26. Both the pilgrimage centres are in Uttar Kashi district. The Semwal and Uniyal priests too live in Uttar Kashi. Hence, the doors of these centre would be thrown open as per the pre-decided time.
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