Kedarnath temple closes for winter

The portals of the Kedarnath temple were on Saturday closed for the winter season, when the shrine remains snowbound. The temple gates were closed at 8 am after rituals were performed by priest Bagesh Ling, the Chardham Devasthanam Board's media cell said. After the closure of the temple gates, the five-faced idol of Baba Kedar (Lord Shiva) was carried in a palanquin decorated with flowers to the Omkareshwar temple at Ukhimath where he is worshipped during the winter months.Over 2.40 lakh pilgrims visited the Kedarnath temple since the Chardham Yatra began began on September 18 this year after the Nainital High Court on September 16 lifted the ban on Char Dham Yatra and only allowed people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a mandatory COVID-19 negative report for the annual pilgrimage.

The portals of the Gangotri shrine were closed on Friday.District Magistrate of Uttarkashi Mayur Dixit in an official statement informed that during this year, more than 32,948 pilgrims visited Gangotri Dham.Char Dhams, which draw lakhs of tourists and devotees every year from across the country and abroad, are closed every year in winters due to heavy snowfall in the region. The gates of the Yamunotri temple  akso closed  on Saturday and those of the Badrinath temple will be closed on November 20, marking the end of the Chardham Yatra.