One of the four Char Dham, the Kedarnath temple will be opened on May 6^th at 6:25 AM for the pilgrims. The temple was closed on November 6^th. The opening date of the temple is declared on Mahashivratri. The closure of the temple door is always the same each year as Bhai dooj is celebrated throughout the country. Kedarnath temple is a holy shrine that every Hindu wants to visit in his lifetime. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near Mandakini River in the state of Uttarakhand. Not only for religious reasons, but people also visit the place for a peaceful and serene environment, amazing views, and positive energy. The adventure seekers find a conducive area for adventures as there is approximately a 14 km trek to the temple.

Kedarnath is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The opening of the temple is one of the auspicious occasions that many pilgrims desire to visit. The opening ceremony includes long hours of pooja by the priests and after those devotees could take darshan. The opening date for the Badrinath temple is May 8^th, Gangotri and Yamunotri doors will open on May 3^rd, 2022.

The history behind the origin of the temple

There are multiple stories of who built this holy temple. The temple has been a remarkable pilgrimage centre for Hindus since ancient times. It is not confirmed who built this holy shrine. In some references in Skanda Purana, this is the place where Shiva sat free the holy river Ganga from his locks (Jata). It is also believed Pandavas built the temple after the battle of Mahabharata. They felt extremely guilty of killing so many people in the battle that they wanted to seek forgiveness from Shiva but Shiva did not want to forgive them for their deeds so he disguised himself as a bull. On getting discovered, Shiva went underground, hid at Guptkashi but Bhim identified him. Bhim tried to catch him but he could catch only the hump of the bull. Shiva reappeared in five different places with different body parts- hump at Kedarnath, face at Rudranath, arms at Tungnath, stomach at Madhyamaheshwar, and hair at Kalpeshwar. These are the five ‘Panch Kedar’ worshipped by Hindus.

The temple is said to be rebuilt by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8^th century AD. The five-faced (Panchmukhi) statue of Shiva will be taken to Kedarnath in a chariot decorated with flowers from Omkareshwar temple.

Requirements for Char Dham Yatra

• To tackle any emergency during the yatra, it has been made mandatory for devotees to have photometric registration before the start of the yatra. It can be done online or offline.
• Devotees need to get fitness certificates from Guptkashi and Sonprayag medical centers as the Char Dham Yatra could be difficult for people suffering from any illness. This year, there won’t be covid restrictions but devotees need to take safety measures. The number of pilgrims will be reduced this year.

The temple remains closed during winters due to heavy snowfall. Devotees can worship at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath.