Panchmukhi Doli reaches Kedarnath Dham
By Our Staff Reporter
Kedarnath (Rudraprayag), 9 May: The Panchmukhi Doli of Lord Kedarnath reached Kedarnath Dham this evening to the playing of devotional music by a band of the army.
President of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) Ajendra Ajay welcomed the Panchmukhi Doli when it reached Kedarnath Dham. On this occasion, BKTC members Niwas Posti, Virendra Aswal, Chief Executive Officer Yogendra Singh, BJP District President Mahavir Panwar, Dinesh Uniyal were among those who welcomed the Panchmukhi Doli. Uttarakhand Culture and Arts Council Vice President Madhu Bhatt also reached Kedarnath Dham on this occasion.
This morning, the Dev Doli of Lord Kedarnath left Gauramai Temple in Gaurikund for its final destination at around 8:30 a.m. and reached Kedarnath at 3:45 p.m. On 6 May, the Dev Doli had left Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath, which is the winter abode of Lord Kedarnath for Vishwanath temple in Guptkashi from where it reached Phata on 7 May. Yesterday, the Doli had reached Gaurikund.
It is worth noting that the portals of Kedarnath Dham will open tomorrow at 7 a.m. amid rituals and worship and Vedic chants. BKTC President Ajendra Ajay took stock of the Yatra arrangements and issued necessary instructions for temple darshan in a meeting of the temple committee officers and employees.
The Dev Doli was welcomed by the district administration, police, Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam and local shopkeepers at Chhoti Lincholi, Lincholi and Kedarnath Base Camp on the Kedarnath trek route.
BKTC media in-charge Dr Harish Gaur disclosed that more than 5 thousand devotees from India and abroad have also reached Kedarnath along with the Doli Yatra.
At the time of the Panchmukhi Doli reaching Kedarnath from Gaurikund, Kedarnath Dham Priest Shivshankar Ling, Executive Officer RC Tiwari, Dharmacharya Omkar Shukla, Vedapathi Yashodhar Maithani, Swayamvar Semwal, Senior Administrative Officer DS Bhujwan and Yaduveer Pushpwan, Doli in-charge Pradeep Semwal, Manager Kailash Bagwadi, Sanjay Tiwari, Bharat Kuldeep Dharmwan, Alok Bajwal, Sanjay Kukreti, temple workers, staff officers of various departments and a large number of devotees were also present.
It may be recalled that along with Kedarnath, the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri temples in district Uttarkashi will also open tomorrow, while the portals of Lord Badrinath temple will open on 12 May. Tomorrow is the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya.
One major highlight of this year’s opening ceremony is that the temple is being decorated with 20 quintals of flowers. The pictures of the decorated temple, as it surfaced on social media, gave a mesmerising look.
Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) President Ajendra Ajay told newspersons that the flowers reached the holy temple via helicopters and the devotees are ecstatic and elated over such arrangements.
Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took to his X handle and welcomed the devotees to Kedarnath Dham.
“Hearty welcome and greetings to all the devotees in Shri Kedarnath Dham in Chardham Yatra-2024… Hail Lord Kedar!” the CM wrote.
