The portals of Kedarnath will be reopened for devotees on May 10. The date and schedule for reopening of the Kedarnath temple were finalised ceremoniously at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath on the occasion of Mahashivratri on Friday. Earlier, last month May 12 had been declared as the date for reopening of the Badrinath temple for devotees.

The Rawal, Acharya-Vedpathis and the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) head Ajendra Ajay, among others, gathered at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath on the occasion of Mahashivratri. The date and schedule for reopening of Kedarnath was ceremoniously finalised on the occasion. The Omkareshwar temple was decorated with about 11 quintals of flowers on the occasion. The BKTC chairman said that a record number of pilgrims had visited the Kedarnath temple during the previous Char Dham Yatra and the number is expected to rise further this year. The State government under chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the BKTC are committed to ensuring all necessary facilities for pilgrims. A team from the BKTC will soon visit Kedarnath to check arrangements before the start of the pilgrimage, Ajay said.

According to the schedule finalised on Friday, Bhairavnath Pooja will be held at Omkareshwar on May 5. The Panchmukhi Bhog Murti of lord Kedarnath will depart from Omkareshwar for Kedarnath on May 6 with the first stop at Guptkashi on the same day. The procession will halt at Fata on May 7 and Gaurikund on May 8 before arriving at Kedarnath on the evening of May 9. The portals of Kedarnath will be opened to the devotees at 7 AM on May 10.

It is pertinent to mention here that more than 19 lakh people had visited Kedarnath during the previous Char Dham Yatra. The authorities are expecting that more than 20 lakh people will visit this pilgrimage centre in this Yatra.