Key Points:
- The holy place situated in the Himalayas – The Himalyan shrine of Kedarnath will be opened on May 17 at 5 in the morning and there are no restrictions on the number of visitors.
- The decision to open the portals was taken on the occasion of Shivratri in line with the auspicious time from an astrological point of view at Omkareshwar temple at Ukhimath.
- “We are expecting a good pilgrim rush this year. We are not putting any restrictions on the number of pilgrims who can come to Char Dham shrines as we did last year due to Covid-19. The general precautions for checking the spread of Covid-19 will have to be taken by all,” said CEO Raman.
The holy place situated in the Himalayas – The Himalyan shrine of Kedarnath will be opened on May 17 at 5 in the morning and there are no restrictions on the number of visitors. The chief executive officer (CEO) Chardham Devasthanam Management Board, Ravinath Raman said on Thursday. The decision to open the portals was taken on the occasion of Shivratri in line with the auspicious time from an astrological point of view at Omkareshwar temple at Ukhimath.
“We are expecting a good pilgrim rush this year. We are not putting any restrictions on the number of pilgrims who can come to Char Dham shrines as we did last year due to Covid-19. The general precautions for checking the spread of Covid-19 will have to be taken by all,” said CEO Raman.
The Kedarnath temple was closed on November 16 last year. Another of it was the Badrinath Temple, which was closed on November 19 which is set to reopen its gates on May 18. Gangotri and Yamunotri temples will reopen on May 14. The Char Dham Yatra will begin this year after the reopening of all the four temples. In February, the date for opening the portals of Badrinath shrine – May 18 – was declared on the occasion of Basant Panchami.
After a complete closure for 6 months during the winter season, every year, between April and May, the portals of the four famous Himalayan shrines – Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri – are opened.
Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri are collectively called the Char Dham and attract lakhs of pilgrims each year. According to Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board officials, last year overall some 3.1 lakh pilgrims came for Char Dham Yatra, including 1.3 lakh pilgrims for Kedarnath.
