The portals of the Kedarnath shrine were reopened on Monday amidst strict Covid-19 protocol. Arrangements were made for the devotees to have online ‘darshan’. Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat expressed happiness at the opening of the doors of Kedarnath Dham and wished for the well-being of the people.
The portals of the four famous shrines – Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri – are opened every year between April and May after a six-month closure. The portals of the Badrinath temple were reopened on ‘Brahmamuhurta’ at 4.15 am on May 18.
The Uttarakhand Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) said that the first Rudrabhishek Puja in Kedarnath Dham was done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
After the worship, the doors of Lord Kedarnath Temple were opened. On this occasion, the shrine was decorated with 11 quintal flowers.
The late opening of the temples for pilgrims, along with restrictions such as the mandatory negative RT-PCR test report, a daily cap on the number of devotees visiting the shrines besides compliance with mask-wearing and social distancing norms, had severely impacted the visit of pilgrims.
Meanwhile, the Chardham Yatra was temporarily suspended in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Uttarakhand said that only rituals are being performed with no pilgrims allowed.
Uttarakhand has recorded 79,379 active Covid-19 cases and 4,426 people have died due to the infection so far.
