Lagatar24 Desk
Dehradun, Nov.6: The Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board has announced that the portals of Kedarnath and Yamunotri will close for the winter on Saturday and will remain closed for the next six months.
The ‘Char Dham’ circuit is made up of four ancient pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.
According to officials, the Badrinath Temple will close on November 20.
A palanquin will go for Ukhimath Omkareshwar Temple after the religious ceremony for closing the doors of Kedarnath is done today. Similarly, a Goddess Yamuna palanquin would depart for Kharsali, a village near Janki Chatti.
Meanwhile, the Gangotri shrine’s doors were locked at 11.45 a.m. on Friday after priests performed holy ceremonies. The ritual was seen by a huge number of pilgrims and local residents. Following the shutting of Gangotri’s portals for the next six months, Maa Ganga’s Utsav Doli (palanquin) left for her winter residence at Mukhba, and will arrive there today on the occasion of Bhai Dooj.
In an official announcement, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Mayur Dixit stated that around 32,948 pilgrims visited Gangotri Dham this year.
After the Nainital High Court lifted the prohibition on Char Dham Yatra on September 16, only persons completely vaccinated against COVID-19 with a requisite COVID-19 negative report were allowed to participate in the annual pilgrimage.
Over two lakh devotees have visited the four shrines this year till Oct.22, according to the Devasthanam Management Board.
Due to significant snowfall in the region, the Char Dhams, which attract thousands of tourists and devotees each year from throughout the country and overseas, are closed every year in the winter.
