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Amid drum beating and the sound of conch shells, the portals of Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand were on Sunday reopened with all religious fervor which is also expected to set the ball of the Chardham yatra rolling.
And tomorrow, the doors of Badrinath temple, another top Hindu shrine in chamoli district will also be reopened. Both Gangotri and Yamunotri temples had already been thrown open for pilgrims on the occasion of Akshya Tritiya on Friday.
Since the government is regulating the Kedarnath yatra this time, only 1,000 pilgrims were allowed to enter the Kedarnath shrine on the first day.
With pilgrims chanting slogans like “Jai Baba Kedar and Har Har Mahadev”, Rawal (chief priest) Bheema Shankar Lingam opened the doors of the 8th century shrine as other priests took out the idol of Lord Shiva from a palanquin and placed it inside the sanctum sanctorum. Most of the Kedarnath area is still covered with a thick coat of snow.
Even the memories of the last year’s devastating floods could not dampen the spirit of the pilgrims, who came from various parts of the country and waited for hours for the “darshan” of the Kedar Baba.
“This is great occasion that the portals of Chardham yatra have been opened. We appeal to the people to come for Chardham yatra which is again going to be smooth and safe,” said Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
In order to attract pilgrims to Kedarnath, the epicenter of the last year’s mid June deluge, the state government is offering free food, beverages and lodging facilities for pilgrims. Free chopper rides are also being offered to women pilgrims from Lancholi to Kedarnath.
The government is taking a series of steps including biometric registration to encourage pilgrims to visit Chardham yatra, which went haywire after the flash floods. According to a government estimate, the Chardham yatra, which is considered as the backbone of Garhwal region’s economy, used to attract 25 lakh pilgrims every season.
The government tourism agencies such as Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) are offering lucrative tourist packages for the Chardham yatra which covers pilgrimage to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines.
The government has already claimed that most of the reconstruction works pertaining to roads and treks have been completed. “Barring minor roadblocks, most of the roads have been reconstructed,” said Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar.
The government has already made arrangements for the stay of nearly 500 people per day at Lancholi near Kedarnath which is being converted into a temporary base camp. The government is also offering free chopper rides to women from Lancholi to Kedarnath. Moreover, the government will bear all the food and lodging expenses of the people visiting the Kedarnath shrine this time as part of its promotional campaign. The government is spending over Rs 20 crore for the Chardham yatra promotional campaign.
The government has already asked the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), the nodal agency to promote tourism in the state, to provide food and lodging facilities to the people. The government would also offer beverages free of cost at number of places, the chief secretary said.
But people have to stay at pre-fabricated huts and tents during the pilgrimage to Kedarnath.
“A good message has been sent across the world that the yatra to Kedarnath dham has finally started,” said Shailarani Rawat, the local Congress MLA of Kedarnath constituency.
