Kedarnath temple reopens for pilgrims

The doors of famous Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath on Sunday reopened for pilgrims after a gap of six months with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank among those having early darshan of Lord Shiva.

Amid blowing of conches and chanting of vedic hymns and shlokas, Chief priest of Kedarnath shrine Bhimshankar Ling opened the locks of the temple at 0530 hrs in the morning in the presence of senior administrative and police officials, official sources said.

During the opening ceremony, hundreds of devotees were present outside the sanctum sanctorum chanting "Bam Bam Bhole" braving chilly winds blowing in the area.

While Nishank performed puja along with his family members, Uttarakhand Disaster Management Minister Khajan das and Principal Secretary Tourism Rakesh Sharma were also among the first ones, who paid the obeisance at the temple.

Meanwhile, the doors of the Badrinath shrine would also be thrown open for pilgrims on Monday.

The Chardham Yatra comprising pilgrimage to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri nestling in Garhwal Himalayas was kicked off with the opening of portals of both Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines on May 6.

Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines are situated at a height of 3200 meter and 3615 meter respectively in Uttarkashi district. Badrinath is located in Chamoli district a height of 3133 meter and Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district at a height of 3584 meter.

The Chardhams reopen in April-May every year after a gap of six months as the area remain snow-bound during the winter period.

The annual yatra is considered as a backbone of the thriving religious tourism in the state that attracts nearly 15-16 lakh pilgrims every year from home and abroad.

The government has taken various steps for smooth conduct of yatra and directed all the departments to work in tandem during the period.

Policemen removed from duty at Badrinath temple

STAFF WRITER 20:11 HRS IST

Gopeshwar (Uttarakhand), Jun 15 (PTI) Nearly a week after alleged misbehaviour with a woman pilgrim by a constable, the district administration has removed policemen from duty at the famous Badrinath temple.

Volunteers of Shree Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee would now be deployed at the temple to manage the crowd of worshippers, official sources said here today.

The police now would have no role in facilitating the entry of pilgrims to the temple, they said.

The police would be deployed only outside the temple area, the sources said.

The rush of pilgrims would be managed by the volunteers and M S Bhandari had been appointed the Temple Magistrate to oversee the arrangements, they said.

On June 11, an altercation and a scuffle took place between a constable and a woman pilgrim who was standing in a queue near a gate of the temple located in snow-capped Garhwal Himalayas.