Kedarnathdham, (Rudraprayag) Uttarakhand, 25 April: The portals of the Kedarnath temple in the world-famous Kedarnathdham were opened today (Tuesday) at 6.20 am for the common devotees to visit after Vedic chanting and rituals. As soon as the doors opened, the temple complex echoed with the chants of Har Har Mahadev. Along with this, there will be daily worship of Baba Kedar for six months. Around eight thousand devotees including Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmeet Singh and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami were present on the occasion.
The doors of Baba Kedarnath Dham, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas located in the Himalayas, were opened amid the melodious tunes of the army band and echoes of Har-Har Mahadev. Devotees celebrated by playing drums and drums. The Kedarnath temple complex was decorated with 35 quintals of flowers. The process of opening the doors started at five in the morning. The five-faced idol of Baba Kedar reached the temple premises from Rawal Niwas sitting in a movable idol doli. After this, the doors were opened in the presence of Rawal and officials of the Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee.
After this, the chief priest of the temple Shivling performed special worship of Lord Kedarnath in the sanctum sanctorum. With this, the darshan of Baba Kedar started. It is bitterly cold in Kedarnath Dham. The sky is covered with clouds. The government has made special arrangements for health facilities for the passengers. Medicines have been arranged for first aid at every stop.
Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee President Ajendra Ajeya said that all preparations for the yatra are complete. He has appealed to the devotees to understand the guidelines of the government before starting the yatra. Keeping in view the adverse weather conditions, make sure to make arrangements for accommodation in the Dham first. Those traveling with children and the elderly should take special precautions. Devotees suffering from health problems should take the necessary medical advice.
This time nine aviation companies are operating heli services from Jakdhar, Shersi, Phata, Narayankoti, Jammu and Sonprayag in Kedarghati. The State Disaster Response Force has made five halts to help the passengers. These are- Kedarnath, Linchauli, Sonprayag, Agastyamuni and Ratuda. Two teams are deployed at every stage. These teams will also patrol from one stop to another. This will especially help the travellers on the Sonprayag, Lincholi and Kedarnath pedestrian routes. These teams have been provided with electronic snow removers and modern equipment for snow removal.
