The portals of the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand will open for pilgrims from May 14 while Badrinath temple will open from May 15 after the dates were decided in a marathon meeting chaired by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and other stakeholders including the Badri-Kedar Trust.
The head priests of the shrines reached Joshimath in the Himalayan state by road from their native town in Kerala and are under quarantine due to the mandatory Covid-19 lockdown purpose. The schedule dates were however April 28 for Kedarnath and April 29 for Badrinath.
'The decision to reschedule the opening of the temple gates was taken in view of circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic,"Dharmadhikari of the Badrinath temple Bhuvan Chandra Uniyal said.
The head priests of both dhams in Uttarakhand were quarantined after they arrived in the state. Therefore, a new date for the opening of the temples gates were decided. The portals of Badrinath were originally scheduled to open on April 30. However, as per the revised schedule, they will now open on May 15.
Usually the dates to open the pilgrimage are decided on Mahashivratri. Traditionally, the dates are decided as per the Hindu Panchang in the presence of priests of Omkareshwar Temple, the Rawal of Bhimashankar Shivling and others.
Kedarnath and Badrinath are among the most important shrines of Hindus. Apart from this, Kedarnath is among the 12 Jyotirlingas, one of the Char Dham and Panch Kedar.
Badrinath, situated between the two mountains named Nar and Narayan on the left bank of the Alaknanda river, is also famous for its picturesque locales.