Devotees flock to Kedarnath Temple for reopening marked by grand floral decorations

Kedarnath: The portals of Himalayan temple Kedarnath were opened on Friday morning, with more than 12,000 pilgrims attending the ceremony.

Officials from the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) confirmed that the temple gates, situated over 11,000 feet above sea level, were opened at 7 am. The occasion marked the formal end of the winter closure for the revered shrine.

The temple was decorated with 108 quintals of flowers comprising 54 distinct varieties, including roses and marigolds. These flowers were sourced from 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 reopen after the seasonal closure. Gangotri and Yamunotri temples resumed worship on April 30, while Badrinath temple is scheduled to reopen 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.

PTI