From today the gates of the Kedarnath temple are opened after six months. The opening of the pilgrimage was marked on the auspicious day of Akshay Tritiya. The temple was showered with 40 quintals of flower petals. The opening ceremony started with the chanting of “Har Har Mahadev”.
The doors were opened at 7 am. In the opening ceremony, Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and his wife Geeta Dhami were present for the darshan. The helicopters flew above the temple and showered flowers during the opening ceremony. There were hymns, shlokas, and chanting in the Kedarnath temple. The temple is at altitude of 3580 meters and nearly 221km from Rishikesh and Uttarakhand.
Usually, the Kedarnath temple remains closed for six months every year from the day of Bhai Dooj to Akshay Tritiya. The scientific reason behind closing the temple is due to the extreme terrain and the challenge of cold the temple has to go through. This ritual of closing the temple has been going on since a long time. Kedarnath is one of the Char Dham Yatra which is considered as a devoting pilgrimage tour. The Char Dham Yatra includes Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, they hold an exceptional spiritual importance. Climbing the steep ascending path to Kedarnath temple is not easy. It requires a high amount of dedication and physical strength. There is also a helicopter ride alternative for devotees. While trekking to Kedarnath one must carry glucose, sufficient water, and dry fruits to get energy.
The devotees feel immense peace in this spiritual tour. The most important point that does surprise is the temple survived even in the worst of the floods in 2013. The divine aura of the place has magical effects on the minds of the devotees. Kedarnath is said to have been built in the 8th century.
Overall, it is a good time to visit the temple. While The Badrinath Dham will open on May 12.
