Kedarnath (Uttarakhand), May 10 -- One of the 12 Jyotirlingas, Kedarnath Dham, on Friday opened its gates for the pilgrimage season after annually remaining close for over four months.
The revered Shiva temple in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district was closed for the winter on Kartik Purnima in November.
Amid echoes of "Har Har Mahadev" and Vedic chantings, the temple opened its "dwar" (gates) to over 10,000 devotees on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, along with his wife Geeta Dhami, were among the thousands of pilgrims, who sought "darshan" of Baba Kedarnath as the holy portal opened at 7 am marking the beginning of the Char Dham yatra.
Devotional tunes by the band...