By Our Staff Reporter
Madmaheshwar (Rudraprayag), 20 Nov: The portals of the second Kedar temple out of the Panch Kedars, Madmaheshwar, were closed for the winter season this morning during the auspicious muhurat. The temple was decorated for this occasion. After the portals were closed, the festive doli of Lord Madmaheshwar and the Dev Nishans departed for the first stop, Gaundar, accompanied by local musical instruments Dhol-Damaun and the slogans in praise of Baba Madmaheshwar. More than 250 devotees were present on this occasion.
In his message on the occasion of the closing of the portals of Madmaheshwar, Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) President Ajendra Ajay extended his greetings to the devotees. BKTC Vice President Kishore Panwar also expressed happiness on the occasion of the closing of the portals of the Madmaheshwar temple. BKTC Chief Executive Officer Vijay Prasad Thapliyal said that more than 18,000 pilgrims visited Lord Madmaheshwar this season. A day before the closure of the portals, a yagya-havan was performed in the Madmaheshwar temple.
The temple was opened at 4:30 a.m. today to perform the puja and the rituals for the closure of the portals. After the morning prayers, the devotees had darshan of Lord Madmaheshwar. After that, the process of closing the portals began in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The self-manifested Shivling (Swayambhu) of Madmaheshwar was taken to the Samadhi form in a decorated form. The Shivling was covered with local flowers, fruits, and Akshat. After this, the priest, T Gangadhar Linga, closed the portals of the temple at an auspicious time in the presence of the in-charge officer Yaduveer Pushpavan. After the closure of the portals, the doli of Lord Madmaheshwar, along with the temple committee employees and devotees, circumambulated the temple left for the first stop Gondar with the movable idol of Lord Madmaheshwar.
BKTC media in-charge Dr Harish Gaur said that after the closure of the portals today, the movable idol of Lord Madmaheshwar will reach Gondar for night rest. Tomorrow, it will stay in Rakeshwari temple, and on 22 November, it will stay in Giriya. On 23 November, starting from Giriya, the movable idol of Lord Madmaheshwar will be seated in the winter seat of Omkareshwar temple Ukhimath with its divine symbols. With this, the winter worship of Lord Madmaheshwar will begin in Omkareshwar temple Ukhimath.
It may be recalled that the portals of the four main Char Dham temples have already closed for the winters.
