Rudraprayag: The doors of the world famous eleventh Jyotirlinga Shri Kedarnath Dham located in Rudraprayag were opened with rituals on Friday. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also witnessed the opening of the doors. On the opening of the doors, the Chief Minister prayed at Kedarnath Dham and wished for happiness, prosperity and peace in the state. The first puja in Kedarnath Dham was performed in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The doors of Baba Kedar opened at 7 am amid chanting of mantras, proclamation of Har Har Mahadev and devotional tunes of the band of the Grenadier Regiment of the Army.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami congratulated all the countrymen on the opening of the doors. He said that along with the state, the entire country waits for this moment. Kedarnath Dham is not only the main center of religious faith of Sanatan Dharma followers but is also a symbol of India’s spiritual and cultural heritage. This is a time of celebration for our state. The Chief Minister prayed to Baba Kedar for a safe journey of all the pilgrims.
The Chief Minister said that the number of devotees visiting Baba Kedar’s Dham is increasing every year. With the blessings of Baba Kedar, this year too the Char Dham Yatra will create a new record. He said that the state government has ensured all the arrangements for the systematic and successful operation of the Char Dham Yatra. The government has made all the necessary arrangements for the convenience, safety and ease of the devotees coming on the Char Dham Yatra. He said that it is the duty of all of us Uttarakhand residents to welcome the guests coming from the country and the world with affection and service.
The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a dedicated devotee of Baba Kedarnath. After the 2013 disaster, the work of reconstruction of Kedar Nagari started under the leadership of the Prime Minister. Today, under his guidance, the divine and grand construction work of the Kedarnath complex has been done. From this very land of Kedarnath, the Prime Minister had declared the third decade of the 21st century as the decade of Uttarakhand. To make his words true, the state government is constantly establishing new dimensions of development.
Baba Kedar’s Dham was decorated with more than 108 quintals of flowers.
The Kedarnath temple was decorated grandly for the inauguration of the doors. The temple has been decorated with more than 108 quintals of flowers. Amidst the grand decorations, as soon as the doors opened, flower shower was also done from the helicopter, seeing which the devotees seemed overwhelmed.
As per religious tradition, special prayers were offered as soon as the doors opened.
The Panchmukhi Utsav Doli of Lord Kedarnath reached Shri Kedarnath Dham via various stops like Guptkashi, Phata, Gaurikund, through the winter seat of Shri Omkareshwar Temple, Ukhimath. The process of opening the doors started at five in the morning. At 6 o’clock, Rawal Bhimashankar Ling of Shri Kedarnath Dham, priest Bagesh Ling, MLA Kedarnath Asha Nautiyal, District Magistrate Saurabh Gaharwar, BKTC Chief Executive Officer Vijay Prasad Thapliyal, Tirtha Purohit Srinivas Posti, religious leaders, Vedpathis, Arvind Shukla of Bhairav Nath entered the temple from the east gate and participated in the worship of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. After invoking the gods and goddesses and wishing and vowing for the welfare of the people, the doors of Shri Kedarnath temple were opened for the devotees to have darshan at exactly 7 o’clock in the morning. At the same time, the main south gate of the temple also opened. On the occasion of the opening of the gates, Mrs. Geeta Dhami, District Panchayat Chairman Amardei Shah, Chief Executive Officer BKTC Vijay Prasad Thapliyal, Superintendent of Police Akshay Prahlad Konde, Temple Committee In-charge Officer/Assistant Engineer Girish Devli, Kedar Sabha Chairman Rajkumar Tiwari, Dharmadhikari Omkar Shukla, Senior Administrative Officer Yaduveer Pushpawan, Priest Bagesh Ling, Vedpathi Swayamvar Semwal, Yashodhar Maithani, Vishwa Mohan Jamloki, Devanand Gairola, Vipin Tiwari Kuldeep Dharmwan, Prakash Purohit, Umesh Shukla along with a large number of pilgrimage priests, right holders and other people were present.
