The pilgrimage to the famous Himalayan Char Dham commenced on Tuesday on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya as the portals of the holy shrines dedicated to Ganga and Yamuna were reopened amidst elaborate Vedic rituals. Allaying apprehension of inclement weather proving the spoilsport, the weather, in fact, helped the ceremony to be completed in its full glory.
Religious fervour marked the ambience at the snow-clad Gangotri Dham on the occasion. However, the number of devotees was much lower than the pre-disaster days. Only a handful of foreigners could be seen amidst the crowd. The Ganga Mandir Samiti's president Bhageshwar Semwal and secretary Suresh Semwal presided over the elaborate rituals of the idol installation ceremony inside the temple.
Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Tourism Minister Dinesh Dhanai and Chief Secretary N Ravishankar were among the first devotees to pay obeisance at the Gangotri Dham after the portals of the Himalayan shrine in Uttarkashi district were thrown open to the devotees.
Rawat had already visited Kedarnath and Badrinath to see for himself how the arrangements were being made. The bedecked 'Doli' (palanquin) of the Goddess Ganga was taken out of the winter abode at Mukhwa temple with special worship. The procession of the idol with the Army band in the lead left for Gangotri Dham around 10 am. The portals of the temple were opened under the auspicious Rohini Nakshtra around 12.30 pm.
The 'Bhog Murti' in the palanquin was welcomed with showers of flowers at the Gangotri temple. later, after elaborate rituals and abhishek ceremonies, the temple was opened. Meanwhile, Yamunotri temple committee's secretary Purushottam Uniyal said that the Doli of Goddess Yamuna had left its winter abode of Kharsali for Yamunotri Dham early Tuesday morning.
Chief Minister Harish Rawat had also visited Kharsali before he left for Gangotri. After the 'Doli', accompanied by a large number of devotees and her brother 'Shani Dev', reached the summer abode at Yamunotri, the portals of the Yamunotri temple were also opened on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya. The doors of Kedarnath temple would open on April 2, while those of Badrinath Dham would open on April 26.