Portals of Kedarnath open, devastation visible outside

The tolling of bells may have brought alive the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath today but heaps of broken doors and razed walls just a few meters away are a tell-tale sign of the massive devastation suffered in the June calamity.
Several structures close to the shrine are lying in the shambles, with heaps of wooden planks, broken doors and razed walls lying just a few meters away from the temple.
Structures lying close to the temple are still cluttered with tons of debris under which a large number of bodies might be lying, officials here said.
The huge rock that saved the shrine was also worshipped today by a team of priests as pujas resumed at the shrine after a gap of 86 days.

"The road route to the shrine has also been opened for a limited number of pilgrims from the nearby areas at their own risk," Rudraprayag DM Dilip Javalkar said.
Full-fledged yatra has not yet resumed. A review meeting will be held on 30 September to take stock of the situation and decide on the possibility of resuming the full-fledged yatra.

Meanwhile,Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna scheduled to visit the shrine today has not been able to visit due to bad weather.
Many areas in the hilly regions of the state received light to moderate rain, official sources said.
Even in state's capital Dehradun, rain started midnight and continued till this afternoon, they added.