The countdown to the ‘Char Dham Yatra’ has come to an end now, but there is no end to the challenges on the yatra route. The Char Dham Yatra would begin on Tuesday with the re-opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines. Still the traders and others sound worried over the pilgrimage with things remaining far from satisfactory on the ground.
On Monday, the ‘doli’ of Ganga left Mukhba for Gangotri with all traditional rituals. The villagers with the women leading the show sent her off like a ‘daughter’. Several families originally hailing from Mukhba but living outside also reached their native places to attend the ceremony. The people started thronging at Mukhba from Sunday to participate in it. The gathering was impressive with those who had migrated down for the winter months having returned to their native villages. The women, married off elsewhere, also reached their maternal places to take part in it. The grand procession with the Army Band in the lead started in the morning.
However, the ground situation is still worrisome with the condition of the roads remaining risky for the pilgrims. The arrangements made for the ‘Char Dham Yatra’ are at best half-done, said the worried locals. On Monday, the Ganga Bhog idol was taken out of the winter abode of Mukhimath temple after a special worship was performed.
On the occasion, along with devotees, a number of gods were also supposed to attend the ceremony. like earlier years, all the five ‘Pandavas’ entered their ‘Peshwas’ (human mediums) to send-off the goddess. The doli would halt for the night in Bhiaron Ghati.
On Tuesday morning, it would leave for Gangotri. The Ganga priest Semwal clan and the devotees would cover 30 km distance on foot to reach the Gangotri shrine by 11.30 am. The portals would be re-opened at 12.30 am under the auspicious Rohini Nakshtra on the day marking Akshya Tritiya. With this, the idol would be set in its summer temple for several months.
On the other hand, Yamunotri temple committee secretary Purushottam Uniyal said that on the day of Akshaya Tritiya, the doli of Yamunotri would leave Kharsali for the Yamunotri dham with a large number of devotees on April 21.