The Kedarnath Temple located in the Kedarnath valley and dedicated to Lord Shiva will reopen for pilgrims on April 24 this year. The date and timing of the reopening ceremony was decided at the Omkareshwar Temple Ukimath in Rudraprayag district on February 17.
The shrine is visited by almost 7 lakh pilgrims every year, from April end to October. During winters the portals of the temple are closed and the deities are brought to Ukimath and worshipped for almost six months before the portals of the Kedarnath shrine open again. Kedarnath is one of the four major sites of the Char Dham Yatra in the Northern Himalayas.
Meanwhile, the Badrinath shrine, which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and located in Chamoli district, will also reopen on April 26. The portals of the shrine were closed for the winter months on November 27, last year, and the idol of the Badrinath shrine was moved to Pandukeshwar. Every year the date of reopening the shrine for worship is decided on the occasion of Vasant Panchami in Tehri.
In 2013 the Kedarnath Valley was struck by unprecedented floods that claimed over 1000 lives. The Temple including the main shrine had suffered severe damage during the floods.
