Garhwal Post Bureau
Rudraprayag, 23 Oct: The portals of the sacred Kedarnath Jyotirling, revered as the foremost among the twelve Jyotirlingas, were ceremoniously closed for the winter season at 8:30 a.m. today, coinciding with the auspicious festival of Bhai Dooj. The rituals were performed with due Vedic chants and traditional customs amidst a large gathering of devotees, as the entire Kedar Valley reverberated with cries of “Har Har Mahadev” and “Jai Baba Kedar”.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also witnessed the closing ceremony and offered prayers at the shrine. The temple, bedecked with flowers, presented a divine sight on the concluding day of the yatra season.
It may be recalled that, yesterday, the Chal Vigraha (processional five-faced idol) doli of Kedarnath Bhagwan had been ceremoniously installed in the Sabhamandap of the temple. The process of the closing rituals began at 4 a.m. today with a special Samadhi Puja of the self-manifested lingam of Baba Kedar, which concluded at 6 a.m. Thereafter, the sanctum sanctorum was sealed, and at 8:30 a.m., the Panchmukhi doli of Kedarnath Bhagwan was then taken out for parikrama of the temple before the main gates were finally closed for the winter.
Following the traditional parikrama, the doli began its journey towards Lord Kedar’s winter seat at Omkareshwar Temple, Ukhimath. The doli will have its first night halt tonight at Rampur, proceed to Guptkashi tomorrow, and reach Ukhimath on 25 October. For the next six months, all the worship and rituals of Baba Kedar will be performed at Omkareshwar Temple.
CM Dhami, accompanied by senior officials, was present during the closing ceremony. Prominent among those attending were BKTC (Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee) President Hemant Dwivedi, Vice President Rishi Prasad Sati, Vijay Kaparwan, Kedar Sabha President Pandit Rajkumar Tiwari, Kedar Sabha Secretary Pandit Ankit Prasad Semwal, Dharmadhikari Omkar Shukla, Priest Bagesh Ling, Acharya Sanjay Tiwari, and Akhilesh Shukla.
Preparations for the temple’s closure had commenced a day earlier, when the Chal Vigraha Panchmukhi doli was brought from the storehouse into the temple under the supervision of the Kedar Sabha and duly installed in the Sabha Mandap for special pujas.
In addition, the portals of Maa Gaura Mai Temple at Gaurikund, an important halting point on the Kedarnath Yatra route, were also closed today for the winters after due rituals performed by the Badri-Kedar Temple Committee and the traditional custodians.
It may be recalled that this year’s Char Dham Yatra, which began on 30th April with the opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dhams, witnessed an unprecedented influx of devotees. The portals of Kedarnath and Badrinath Dhams were opened for pilgrims’ darshan on 2 May and 4 May, respectively. Despite disruptions caused by heavy monsoon rains, landslides, and cloudbursts, especially in Dharali on the Gangotri route, the Yatra witnessed a record-breaking footfall this year in Kedarnath particularly.
Over 18 lakh pilgrims have visited Kedarnath Dham alone, surpassing last year’s total of 16,52,076 devotees. The state government, anticipating the overwhelming turnout, had made elaborate arrangements to ensure a safe and smooth yatra. Security personnel were deployed across the route, while JCB machines were stationed at landslide-prone zones to clear debris and maintain traffic flow. Though the Yatra had to be halted in view of landslides and obstruction on a few occasions this year, still the footfall
With the closure of the Kedarnath Temple portals, the six-month winter sojourn of Baba Kedar has formally begun.
