Kedarnath to open for devotees on April 25

Dehradun, February 18 (PTI) The portals of Kedarnath situated in the upper Garhwal Himalayas will be opened on April 25 after nearly six months of their closure during the winter season.

The gates of the Himalayan temple will be thrown open to devotees at 6.20 am on April 25, Badrinath-Kedarnath Mandir Samiti sources said.

The timing and date for the reopening of the temple gates were announced at a ceremony at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath on Saturday on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivaratri.

The ceremony was attended by BKTC officials, tirth purohits and officials of the district administration.

The idol of lord Shiva is brought down every year after the closure of Kedarnath to the Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath where it is worshipped during winter.

Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri are already scheduled to open on April 27 and April 22.

The Char Dham temples, including Kedarnath, are closed every year in October-November due to extreme cold conditions.