Portals of Kedarnath, Yamunotri closed for winter

Hundreds of devotees thronged Kedarnath and Yamunotri today as portals of the two famous Himalayan shrines in Uttarakhand were ceremoniously closed for the winter today amid chanting of vedic hymns and elaborate rituals.
Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district was closed for devotees at 8 AM in the morning while Yamunotri in Uttarkashi district was closed at 1:15 PM in the afternoon.
After the closure ceremonies were over, an idol of Lord Shiva from Kedarnath and that of Goddess Yamuna from Yamunotri left in palanquins for Ukhimath and Kharsali respectively where they will be worshipped during winter.
"About 2,000 pilgrims visited Yamunotri to witness its annual closure for the winter when the famed temple standing at a height of 10,804 ft above sea level lies under snow," Purola SDM K K Singh said.

"Earlier, pilgrims braved early morning chill to converge atKedarnath as its gates were closedat 8 AM after last prayers of the season were offered and necessary rituals carried out by a group of five priests (panch pujari gan) in the presence of scores of devotees, temple committee and administrative officials," Kedarnath Rawal (head priest) Bhima Shankar Ling Shivacharya Swamiji told PTI on the phone.
The idol of Lord Shiva from Kedarnath will reach Ukhimath's Omkareshwar Mandirthe day after tomorrow via Rampur and Guptkashi, he said.

The lord is worshipped by authorised priests at Ukhimath during his winter sojourn.
A total of 1.52 lakh pilgrims visited Kedarnath this season registering a rise of over 50,000 devotees in comparison to last year, the Rawal said.

The rising number of pilgrims indicatesgrowing confidence about safety, besidesimproved facilities on the pilgrimage route, he said.