Uttarakhand: Kedarnath, Yamunotri to close for winter on November 6

The sacred portals of Kedarnath and Yamunotri temples in Uttarakhand will be closed for winter this year on November 6 while those of Gangotri will be shut on November 5.

The date for the closure of Badrinath will be announced on Friday on the occasion of Vijay Dashmi as is done traditionally, Uttarakhand Chardham Devasthanam Board media incharge Harish Gaud said.

Closure of the Himalayan temples will mark the end of the annual Chardham Yatra of Uttarakhand, which had a delayed start for the second consecutive year last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The temples, which normally drew huge crowds of devotees from across the country and abroad before the pandemic broke out, are closed every year during winter when they remain snowbound.

More than one lakh pilgrims have visited Chardham so far this year amid a number of restrictions imposed on them in view of the pandemic, including a daily limit on the number of devotees visiting them.

However, the daily cap on pilgrim turnout at the Himalayan temples had been removed by the Uttarakhand High Court on October 6.