Kedarnath will shut down for winters starting November 6

DEHRADUN: Following a tradition of announcing dates of closing of portals of the Char Dham shrines on the day of Dussehra, Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board on Friday said portals of Badrinath shrine will be closed for the winter months on November 20.

The portals of Gangotri will be closed on November 5 (Govardhan Puja, next day of Diwali)) and portals of Yamunotri and Kedarnath shrines on November 6 (Bhaidooj).

Harish Gaur, spokesperson Char Dham board, said the exact time auspicious time for closing the portals of Char Dham shrines is arrived through astrological calculations by local temple bodies and priests.

He said in the case of Kedarnath and Yamunotri, it is a tradition that their portals close on Bhaidooj, which falls on November 6 this year. He said the portals of Tungnath shrine will close for the winter months on October 30 this year.

Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed happiness over the successful conduct of Char Dham yatra so far. He said the yatra will go on without any impediment till the closure of the portals.

This year so far, over 1.14 lakh pilgrims have visited Char Dham shrines.

The pilgrim influx increased after Uttarakhand high court on October 5 lifted the daily cap on the number of pilgrims who can visit Char Dham yatra following the state government’s plea that the limitation should be lifted as the COVID cases have down significantly in the state.

The daily limit of pilgrims was 1000 for Badrinath, 800 for Kedarnath, 600 for Gangotri and 400 for Yamunotri shrines. Earlier on September 16, the court had lifted its June 28 stay on Char Dham yatra, paving way for the start of yatra from September 18 to the four revered Himalayan shrines with COVID curbs.