Kedarnath Temple will reopen on May 10, Govt advises to prepare for Chardham Yatra

The holy festival of Maha Shivratri brings good news for devotees of Lord Shiva. The gates of the renowned Kedarnath Dham are set to open this year on May 10th at 7 a.m.

Today, on the occasion of Maha Shivratri, the date for the opening of the gates was announced during a religious ceremony held in the Panch Kedar seat, the Shri Omkareshwar Temple in UkhiMath, attended by the chairman of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, Ajendra Ajay. The fifth of May will witness the worship of the Panchmukhi Bhog Murti of Lord Kedarnath at the Shri Omkareshwar Temple in UkhiMath, alongside Bhairav Nath Ji. The Panchmukhi Doli will depart on May 6th for the Shri Kedarnath Dham. After passing through various stages, the Doli will reach the Kedarnath Dham on the evening of May 9th. Following this, on May 10th at 7 a.m., the gates of the Kedarnath Dham will be opened for the Char Dham Yatra 2024.

The decision to announce the date of the gate opening was made in the presence of Kedarnath’s Rawal Bhimashankar Ling. Every year, the date for the opening of the gates of Baba Kedarnath is declared on the occasion of Maha Shivratri. On this occasion, the Omkareshwar Temple was adorned with various floral decorations. Last year, all records for the Kedarnath Yatra were broken. It is hoped that even more devotees will visit Kedarnath this year. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, while participating in a meeting held on Thursday regarding the preparations for the Char Dham Yatra-2024, instructed the formation of a committee for the preparations and monitoring of the upcoming Char Dham Yatra. He directed the appointment of SP/Additional SP rank officers for the smooth operation of traffic management in all four Dhams, as well as coordination among all officers and departments. He said that the experiences and issues encountered in the past years’ Yatras should be addressed and resolved this year through planning and work. CCTV cameras should be installed along all pedestrian routes and sensitive areas. He said that attention should also be paid to the interests of local people along with the travelers. He said that real-time monitoring of all four Dhams should be ensured at the government level, along with the proper operation of the Disaster Control Room. The Chief Minister said that information about adverse weather forecasts should be communicated to the travelers on time, for which an alert message system should be arranged on their mobile phones. Regular cleaning should be done on pedestrian routes. Special emphasis should be placed on cleanliness in toilets built on the Yatra route. The number of toilets on the Yatra route should also be increased. He ordered work to be done on a plastic-free mode on all four Dhams during the Yatra. Twenty-four-hour electricity supply should be ensured at all four Dhams before the start of the Yatra. Street lights should also be installed along pedestrian routes. Along with this, arrangements should be made for regular water supply on the Yatra route.

The Chief Minister said that the improvement of the Char Dham routes should be done before the Yatra. Identification of places where most routes are obstructed and arrangements for JCB/machines etc. should be made. Arrangements should be made to open any closed route immediately during the Yatra. He instructed to assess the need for buses and taxis etc. for the Char Dham Yatra beforehand. The Chief Minister emphasized the extension of health-related arrangements on the Yatra routes soon. He said that medical facilities and expected staff should be arranged at temporary medical centers on Char Dham routes. Veterinary doctors should be deployed on pedestrian routes for the prevention of horse diseases. During the Yatra season, management of SDRF, police force, jal police, gothakhor, traffic police should be done on the routes of Dhams and Yatra. Temporary police posts should also be established wherever necessary during the Yatra. He said that those who do good work during the Yatra will be honored.