The pilgrimage to Hemkund will start on May 25 with the authorities lending the finishing touches to arrangements being made for the visitors. However, the route from Atlakoti to Hemkund is still covered in snow. Though the army has cleared a path through the snow, the remaining snow in the area between Atlakoti and Hemkund might cause some inconvenience to the visitors though they would also enjoy the natural beauty of snow atop the high mountains.
Devotees visit Hemkund for the Gurudwara and lakshman temple in this area which are closed to the public for six months in winter. The disaster which struck Uttarakhand in June last year caused disruption of the pilgrimage to Hemkund for about three months before it could be resumed on September 20 last year. The portals of the Gurudwara were closed to the public for the winters shortly after the pilgrimage resumed last year. After remaining closed to the public for six months, this shrine will be reopened on May 25. The first batch of devotees will leave from Govindghat to Hemkund on May 24 with the State chief minister Harish Rawat slated to flag off the first batch of pilgrims.
On Sunday, the portals of the lokpal lakshman temple which also remain closed to the public for the winters, will be reopened along with the portals of Hemkund Sahib. This year, the inclement weather resulted in considerable snowfall in the higher altitude regions of the State. Due to this, the Atlakoti area is still covered in snow though the army has cleared a path to Hemkund through it.