Kedarnath: Portals of famous chardham shrines close for winter

Dehradun, Oct 29: The sacred portals of the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath were closed on Tuesday for the winter season. A total of 9,97,585 devotees paid obeisance at the shrine this season, a temple committee spokesman said.

Kedarnath shrine closes for winter

Around 1200 devotees attended the ceremony as the gates of the Himalayan shrine were closed at 8.30 am, temple committee sources said. An idol of the presiding deity Lord Shiva was taken in a flower bedecked palanquin after the closure of the portals to be carried to the Omkareshwar Temple at Ukhimath where he will be worshipped during the next six months.

Chants of 'Jai Baba Kedar' in the air

Chants of "Jai Baba Kedar" filled the air as the procession left for Ukhimath to a tune played by the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry band. The procession will reach the Omkareshwar Temple on October 31 via Rampur and Guptkashi.

Every year, lakhs of tourists visit the famous four shrines of Uttarakhand known as chardham which include Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. These shrines are dedicated to Goddesses Yamuna, Ganga and Lords Shiva and Vishnu respectively. While the portals of three chardham shrines are closed for the public this week, Badrinath shr

Gangotri shrine closed:

The Gangotri shrine was ceremoniously closed to the public for the winter on Monday morning at 11.40 AM. This marks the start of the process of closure of the Char Dham shrines in Uttarakhand. The portals of Kedarnath and Yamunotri shrines are slated to be closed to the public for the winters on Tuesday.

Char Dham shrines:

Meanwhile, with the closure of the Gangotri shrine, the process has begun for closure of all the Char Dham shrines in the State. The shrines of Kedarnath and Yamunotri will be closed to the public for the winters today.

While the portals of Kedarnath was closed ritually at 8:30 am, the portals of the Yamunotri shrine will be closed to the public at 12:30 pm. The Badrinath shrine is slated to be closed for the winter on November 17.