Kedarnath (Uttarakhand): One of the 12 Jyotirlingas, Kedarnath Dham, on Friday opened its gates for the pilgrimage season after annually remaining close for over four months.
The revered Shiva temple in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district was closed for the winter on Kartik Purnima in November.
Amid echoes of "Har Har Mahadev" and Vedic chantings, the temple opened its "dwar" (gates) to over 10,000 devotees on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, along with his wife Geeta Dhami, were among the thousands of pilgrims, who sought "darshan" of Baba Kedarnath as the holy portal opened at 7 am marking the beginning of the Char Dham yatra.
Devotional tunes by the band of the Grenadier Regiment of the Army filled up the atmosphere as flowers were showered on the pilgrims from a helicopter as the doors opened.
The temple has been decorated with more than 20 quintals of flowers and it made for some amazing photos for the devotees as the weather was clear amid cool breeze with snowfall on higher reaches.
Dhami congratulated all the devotees and wished for the nation's prosperity, hoping for a new record by the yatra. The state government is committed to providing all facilities to the pilgrims, he said.
Bhandaras (community lunch) were organised at various places for the devotees. Chief Sevak Bhandara Programme Committee also organised several Bhandaras.
The process of arrival of pilgrims started at the temple premises around 4 am.
Temple officials, including Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) President Ajendra Ajay Rawal then invoked Lord Bhairavnath and Lord Shiva for opening the doors of the temple.
The door worship began exactly at 7 am as District Magistrate Dharmacharya Vedpathi along with administration officials reached the temple from the east gate.
After the opening, the Swayambhu Shivalinga of Lord Kedarnath was decorated and worshipped before being given darshan to devotees.
