New Delhi: Uttarakhand’s sacred Kedarnath temple will reopen to devotees from April 22, temple committee officials said on Sunday, marking the end of nearly six months of winter closure.The auspicious date and time are finalized on the occasion of Mahashivratri at the winter sanctum of the shrine.
Muhurat decided to choose Mahashivratri
Harish Gaur, public relations officer of Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, said the date for reopening was fixed at the Omkareshwar temple, which is dedicated to Lord Kedarnath during winter.
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After special rituals and prayers, religious scholars and priests use panchang (Hindu calendar) readings to calculate the muhurat. The temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas temples, will open on April 22 at 8 am.The ceremony at the Omkareshwar temple was beautifully decorated, including about nine and a half loads of flowers.According to news agency ANI, those present included Kedarnath Temple chief priest Rawal Bhimashankar Ling, Kedarnath MLA Asha Nautiyal, temple committee chairman Hemant Dwivedi, other officials, religious leaders and hundreds of devotees.Devotees offered prayers, chanted “Jai Baba Kedar” and participated in community feasts organized by donors.
Char Dham Yatra schedule announced
With the reopening date confirmed, the schedule for the annual Garhwal Himalayan Char Dham Yatra has also been finalized.The gates of Badrinath Temple will be reopened on April 23. Meanwhile, Gangotri Temple and Yamunotri Temple will be opened earlier on April 19, coinciding with the Akshaya Tritiya festival.The reopening of the shrines marks the start of the annual pilgrimage season, which draws hundreds of thousands of devotees to Himalayan temples each year.