Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand to Open on April 29 With Only 16 People Including Chief Priest, ‘Darshan’ for Devotees Not Allowed Till Further Orders

Dehradun, April 22: The sacred portals of the holy shrine in Kedarnath in hill state Uttarakhand will be reopened as per the original schedule on April 29, a temple committee official confirmed. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic in the country, only 16 people, including the Chief Priest of Kedarnath temple will be present when the portals of the temple open on April 29. The dates of the pilgrimage are usually decided on Mahashivratri. Traditionally, the dates are decided as per the Hindu Panchang in the presence of priests of Omkareshwar Temple, the Rawal of Bhimashankar Shivling and others.

Mangesh Ghildiyal, District Magistrate, Rudraprayag was quoted by ANI saying that only 16 people, including the Chief Priest of Kedarnath temple to be present when the portals of the temple open. Ghildiyal added saying that 'darshan' for the devotees will not be allowed at the temple as of now in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

Here's the tweet:

On April 20,  Uttarakhand's Culture Minister Satpal Maharaj had announced that the Kedarnath temple will open for pilgrims from May 14 while Badrinath temple will open from May 15 at 4 am.

The famous shrines- the Kedarnath and Badrinath are considered as an important place of worship by the Hindus. Badrinath, situated between the two mountains named Nar and Narayan on the left bank of the Alaknanda river, is also famous for its picturesque locales. Apart from this, Kedarnath is among the 12 Jyotirlingas, one of the Char Dham and Panch Kedar.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 22, 2020 01:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).