Opening of Kedarnath, Badrinath temples deferred due to lockdown

In a significant development, the dates of opening of portals of the Hindu Shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath located in Garhwal Himalayas have been deferred due to the prevailing lockdown in the country. Earlier, the portals of Kedarnath temple were due to be opened on April 29 while Badrinath temple was to open on April 30.

A decision to defer the opening dates was taken after a meeting between Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, state Tourism Minister Satpal Mmaharaj and erstwhile ruler of Tehri state Manujendra Shah, in Dehradun on Monday. As per the tradition, the ruler of the erstwhile state of Tehri announces the dates of opening of Kedarnath and Badrinath temples.

Now the portals of Kedarnath will be opened on May 14 while Badrinath temple will reopen on May 15.

Bhuvan Chander Uniyal, Dharamadhikari of Badrinath in a statement said it was hoped that COVID-19 will subside by May 15 paving the way for pilgrims to visit ‘Char Dham’ temples in Uttarakhand.