RUDRAPRAYAG, 18 Oct: The portals of the world-famous guardian deity of Kedarnath Dham, Lord Bhairavnath, have been closed for the winter, marking the beginning of the process for the closure of the main Kedarnath shrine. The portals of Kedarnath Dham will now be ceremonially closed for the winter season on October 23, on Bhai Dooj.
The Bhairavnath Temple doors were ritually closed this afternoon at 1:15 pm with full traditional rituals and prayers and the chants. Prior to the closure, prayers, worship, and offerings were conducted at the Kedarnath temple. Officials of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, members of the Kedar Sabha, and the Panch Panda Committee from Rudrapur participated in the ceremony, proceeding in a traditional procession from the Kedarnath temple complex to the Bhairavnath shrine. Priest Bagesh Ling, Dharmadhikari Omkar Shukla, Vedic scholar Yashodhar Maithani, and other teerth purohits performed the rituals. Local delicacies and rot were offered as bhog, and the ritual concluded with a sacred havan and yajna.
It may be interesting to note that as per tradition, the portals of Bhairavnath Temple are closed on the last Saturday before the closure of Kedarnath Dham for the winter. It is believed that during the winter months, when the portals of Kedarnath remain closed, Bhairavnath guards and watches over the entire Kedarpuri region. Each year, the portals of Bhairavnath are closed before Kedarnath’s closure and reopened before the reopening of Kedarnath temple in the summer.
With the closure of Bhairavnath Temple, preparations have now begun for the ritual closure of Kedarnath Dham and the ceremonial worship of the Panchmukhi Doli (five-faced palanquin) of Lord Kedarnath. President of the Kedar Sabha, Rajkumar Tiwari, informed that all necessary arrangements and rituals are being initiated for the forthcoming closure ceremony.
According to the schedule, the portals of Kedarnath Dham will be closed on October 23 at 8:30 am following full Vedic rituals. Similarly, the portals of Gangotri Dham will close on October 22 at 11:36 am on the occasion of Annakoot festival, and those of Yamunotri Dham on October 23, at 12:30 pm. The portals of Badrinath Dham will be closed on Tuesday, November 25, at 2:56 pm in an auspicious muhurta.
This year, the Char Dham Yatra had begun on April 30 with the opening of the Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines, followed by Kedarnath on May 2 and Badrinath on May 4. According to the official figures, over 49 lakh pilgrims have undertaken the Char Dham Yatra so far, including 17,26,068 devotees to Kedarnath, 6,43,092 to Yamunotri, 7,52,638 to Gangotri, and 15,05,993 to Badrinath. Additionally, 2,74,441 devotees have visited Hemkund Sahib. The figures account for pilgrim arrivals from April 30 to October 17.
