By OUR STAFF REPORTER
KEDARNATH (Rudraprayag), 3 May: The portals of lord Bhairavnath temple, revered as the protector of Kedarnath, were ceremoniously opened for devotees with Vedic chanting and sacred rituals, on Saturday. With this, daily pujas and the evening aarti have formally commenced at the Kedarnath temple. In the presence of Kedarnath’s chief priest, Acharya Bagesh Lingam Vedpathi and the temple committee members, the portals of Bhairavnath were opened ritualistically at 11 am. A special Abhishek (anointment) was performed; the rituals and worship to Bhairavnath lasted about one-and-half hours. This was followed by a havan (fire), in which barley, sesame, and ghee were offered to lord Bhairava. Roti and pakoras were prepared and offered as bhog, which was later distributed among the devotees.
It may be noted here that lord Bhairavnath is considered as the protector of Kedarnath, and his temple’s portals are traditionally opened on the first Tuesday and Saturday marking the reopening of Kedarnath. This practice has been followed for past several centuries, as daily pujas and evening aarti at Kedarnath temple only begin after the portals of Bhairavnath temple are opened.
Apart from Kedarnath’s Chief Priest, others who were in attendance were Bhairavnath’s Priest Arvind Shukla, Kedar Sabha President Rajkumar Tiwari, temple committee’s senior administrative officer YS Pushpavan, Umesh Shukla, along with a large number of Teerth-purohits, right holders, and devotees.
