Kedarnath, Yamunotri shrines closed for winter season

The doors of the Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath and Yamunotri in Uttarakhand were closed for the winter season on Thursday.

The doors of Kedarnath, the abode of Lord Shiva and the eleventh Jyotirlinga, located in Rudraprayag district, were closed at 8:30 am.

Despite the cold, nearly 10,000 devotees were present at the closing ceremony, chanting "Har Har Mahadev," "Jai Baba Kedar," and "Bam Bam Bhole."

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was also present besides administrative officials, temple committee officials, and a large number of priests.

Now, during the next six months, Lord Kedarnath will be worshipped at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath, his winter residence.

The temple was decorated with flowers for the ceremony. As the festive palanquin of Lord Kedarnath was brought out amidst the devotional tunes of the army band and the cheers of devotees, the entire atmosphere was filled with devotion.

The palanquin will stay overnight in Rampur on Thursday while on Friday it will reach Guptkashi from where it will be sent to its winter seat Omkareshwar Temple on October 25.

The Kedarnath temple will reopen its doors to devotees in April-May next year. The date and time will be decided during the Mahashivratri festival.

On this occasion, Dhami said the government is also encouraging the winter Char Dham Yatra and urged devotees to seek blessings by offering prayers at the winter pilgrimage sites of the four Dhams.

The chief minister said this year a total of 17,68,795 pilgrims visited Baba Kedar, which is about 1.25 lakh more than the number of devotees who came last year.

This year, despite the pilgrimage being repeatedly disrupted due to disasters during the monsoon, around 50 lakh devotees have come to visit Chardham and Hemkund Sahib.

The doors of Yamunotri, another shrine among the four shrines of the Garhwal Himalayas, were also closed for devotees on Thursday at 12:30 pm amid chanting of Vedic mantras.

Yamunotri Temple Committee spokesperson Purushottam Uniyal said that now during the winter, Mother Yamuna will be visible for six months at her winter residence in Khushimath (Kharsali) village.

This year's Char Dham Yatra has now reached its final stage, with the doors of Gangotri, Yamunotri, and Kedarnath shrines closed for the winter.

The Badrinath temple will close on November 25, marking the end of this year's Char Dham Yatra.

Due to snowfall and severe cold, the doors of Char Dham are closed for devotees every year in October-November and opened again in April-May next year.