Finance
The sacred portals of Shri Kedarnath Dham were closed on Thursday morning, and Baba Kedar’s revered ‘doli’ (palanquin) left for its winter home at the Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath, accompanied by devotional chanting and lyrical sounds from the Garhwal Rifles band.
With this, three of the four Char Dham Yatra shrines have officially closed for the winter. While Gangotri Dham closed on Wednesday, Kedarnath and Yamunotri Dham did the same on Thursday.
The doors of Badrinath Dham will close on November 25, signaling the official end of the Char Dham Yatra 2025.
According to the Badri-Kedar Temple Committee, special arrangements were made for devotees to have ‘darshan’ of Baba Kedar all night.
Devotees were allowed to enter from midnight to 4 a.m., after which Baba Kedar’s ‘Samadhi Puja’ was performed from 5 to 6 a.m. During the ritual, the deity’s self-manifested Shivalinga was ceremonially covered with sacred ashes, grains, fruits, flowers, Rudraksha, and a white cloth, as is traditional. The inner sanctum was sealed at 6 a.m., while the main eastern gate was closed at precisely 8:30 a.m.
Prior to the closing ceremony, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami offered prayers at the sacred temple.
According to the timetable, Baba Kedar’s ‘doli’ carrying the five-headed idol would make its first overnight stop in Rampur before continuing on to Guptkashi on October 24.
The following day, October 25, the ‘doli’ will arrive at Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath, the deity’s winter home, where worship will continue for the next six months until the portals reopen next year.
The Char Dham Yatra continues with great excitement until Badrinath Dham closes. Since April 30 of this year, almost 4.5 million pilgrims have visited the Char Dham sites.
Source: IANS
