A year after Uttarakhand flashfloods, portals of Kedarnath Shrine to reopen on May 4, 2014

The sacred portals of the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath will be thrown open for devotees on May 4 after a six month closure during winter when the area remains snowbound.

The gates of the famed temple dedicated to Lord Shiva will be opened after an elaborate ceremony at 6 am on May 4, Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee sources here said.

The auspicious hour to open the gates of the shrine was finalised in the presence of religious heads, committee and administrative officials on the occasion of Mahashivratri on Thursday at Ukhimath in Rudraprayag district where an idol of the Hindu deity is worshipped during the winter sojourn, they said.

The procession called Utsav Yatra of Lord Shiva, which precedes the gate opening ceremony, will begin from Ukhimath on April 30 and reach Kedarnath on the evening of May 3, committee officials said.

Announcing dates for the opening of the other three temples known as chardhams, Committee officials said while Badrinath in Chamoli district will be opened on May 5, Gangotri and Yamunotri will be opened for devotees on May 2 on the occasion of Akshya Tritiya. A large number of devotees visit the char dhams located in Garhwal Himalayas every year.

Though the region suffered extensive damage in the deluge last year with a vast network of roads still breached, the state government claims they will be repaired well before the start of the chardham yatra season.

Kedar valley suffered most of the damage in the June flashfloods.

Godiyal appointed Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chief

Dehradun: Congress MLA from Shrinagar in Uttarakhand Assembly Ganesh Godiyal has been appointed the new chief of Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee.

Godiyal has been appointed to the post for a tenure of three years, official sources said here on Friday.

The Congress MLA, who takes over from BJP's Ansuya Prasad as the president of the committee also holds the charge of the state Assembly's Parliamentary Secretary.

Godiyal's appointment to the post comes after a controversy erupted over allocation of the committee president's additional charge to its chief executive officer B D Singh following conclusion of Prasad's tenure.

Terming it a violation of the Temple Committee Act, opposition BJP had threatened to take the matter to Governor Aziz Qureshi if the Act was not followed in its letter and spirit.

PTI

Badrinath shrine to don a new look soon

A new town will come up near the Badrinath temple, as part of a special plan by the Uttarakhand goverment to beautify the shrine area in Chamoli district.

The plan entails vacating the area falling within 50 km radius of the shrine which is being occupied by bungalows, Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chairman Anusuya Prasad said.

The owners of the bungalows will be asked to to re-locate to the Nar mountain range, Bhatt added.

A committee to execute the plan has been formed under the leadership of a former MP Manohar Kant Dhyani, she said.

Bhatt said this plan will help in better managment of traffic as the shrine is visited by approximately 5 lakh devotees every year.