Mussoorie, Oct. 20 -- The portals of Gangotri Dham will be closed for the winter season on November 10 at 12.05 pm, the Shri Panch Mandir Samiti, Gangotri, announced on Monday. The timing was announced by temple priests on Navami, the ninth day of Sharad Navratri. Suresh Semwal, secretary of the Shri Panch Mandir Samiti, said the portals would close at exactly 12.05 pm in the auspicious Abhijit Muhurat and Amrit Bela, coinciding with the Annakut festival. "The portals of Gangotri Dham will close on November 10 at exactly 12.05 pm," Semwal said. The timing was finalised after consultations with the Hindu almanac and prayers from sacred scriptures in Gangotri on Monday, he said. The closing ceremony will follow the customary rituals observed in previous years. The committee members also prayed for the well-being of citizens and followers of Sanatan Dharma and wished for the continued blessings of Goddess Ganga for happiness and prosperity. After the portals are closed, the ceremonial palanquin, or Utsav Doli, of Goddess Ganga will leave the main shrine in a procession for Mukhba village, her designated winter abode. During the winter months, when the Gangotri temple remains inaccessible, devotees can visit Mukhba to offer prayers, temple officials said. The portals of Gangotri Temple opened on April 19 this year on Akshaya Tritiya. So far, 942,168 pilgrims have visited the shrine, according to temple officials....