The gates of the Kedarnath shrine would be reopened for the pilgrims on May 4. The Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) met at Ukhimath on Thursday and decided the date.

The members of the management committee, priests and those having traditional rights in the affairs of the shrine assembled at the Omkareshwar temple of Ukhimath — the winter abode of Kedarnath — on the occasion of the Mahashivratri and after traditional puja, decided the date of reopening of the gates on May 4 at 6 am.

As per the tradition of closing the shrine in winters, the gates of Kedarnath temple were closed on November 5 last year.

Official spokesman of the temple committee Harish Gaur told The Pioneer that the four faceted silver idol of lord Kedarnath would be placed in a doli from Omkareshwar temple of Ukhimath on April 30 in a procession.

The procession would take the night halts at Phata on May 1 and Gaurikund on May 2 and would reach Kedarnath on May 3.

Deputy chairman of BKTC Madhu Bhatt, the Chief  Executive Officer (CEO) of BKTC BD Singh, the priest of Kedarnath Shivshankarji and others took part in the meeting.

Set amid the picturesque Garhwal Himalayas the Kedarnath is the holiest pilgrim place for a devout Hindu.It is the highest among the twelve Jyotirlingas and

considered as one of the oldest Shiva temples in the country.Kedar is another name of lord Shiva, the protector and the destroyer.

In the month of June last year tragedy struck the pilgrims when a deluge caused large scale destruction of life and property in Kedarnath and its vicinity.