Mussoorie, Oct. 24 -- The portals of Kedarnath Dham, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, were ceremonially closed for the winter season on Thursday morning at 8:30am amid Vedic rituals, chants of "Jai Baba Kedar," and the soulful tunes of the Army band. The auspicious event took place on the occasion of Bhai Dooj (Kartik Shukla Saptami, Anuradha Nakshatra) in the presence of Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. The temple was lavishly adorned with local flowers before the closing rituals began. Despite freezing temperatures, nearly 10,000 devotees gathered to witness the emotional farewell to the deity for the season. The temple priests performed yagya, offered prayers, after which the Shivalinga of Lord Kedarnath was covered with flowers.After the closure of the sanctum sanctorum, the eastern and southern gates of the shrine were sealed in the presence of the CM. The Panchmukhi Utsav Doli (ceremonial palanquin) of Lord Kedarnath was then taken around the temple before departing for its first halt at Rampur, amid chants and music by devotees and priests. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, while extending wishes to devotees across India and abroad, said the grand reconstruction of Kedarnath was a result of the visionary guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "This year, the Char Dham Yatra witnessed a record five million pilgrims, reflecting the growing faith and devotion of people toward Uttarakhand's sacred shrines," Dhami said. The chief minister added that the 2025 Kedarnath Yatra was one of the smoothest and safest so far, with 17,68,795 devotees visiting the temple, an increase of nearly 1.25 lakh from 2024, when 16,52,076 pilgrims visited. "Except for natural challenges, the arrangements remained well-managed throughout the season," he said. The portals of Yamunotri Dham were ceremoniously closed for the winter season on Thursday, marking the end of the pilgrimage period for the year. The closure took place at 12:30pm on the auspicious occasion of Bhai Dooj. The day began with the traditional arrival of the palanquin (doli) of Shani Dev Maharaj, the divine brother of Goddess Yamuna, from Kharsali village to the main temple. Accompanied by the beat of traditional drums, the doli's arrival set the stage for elaborate rituals at the shrine. "The portals of the shrine closed at 12:30pm after the rituals. The Utsav Murti of Maa Yamuna was carried to Kharsali village, where devotees will be able to perform daily worship and have darshan, until the shrine reopens on Akshaya Tritiya in 2026," said Purshottam Uniyal, spokesperson of the Yamunotri Temple Committee....