Gangotri portals to open on April 18

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 19

The portals of the Gangotri shrine will open to the public on April 18 (1.15 pm) on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya. “Although the portals of the Yamunotri shrine will also open on April 18, the timing will be decided on Yamuna Jayanti on March 23,” said Mukesh Semwal, president of the Gangotri Temple Committee.

On the day of the opening of the portals of both temples, the idols of goddesses Yamunotri and Gangotri will be brought in palanquins by villagers, where they are worshipped during their winter sojourn.

The idol of Goddess Gangotri is shifted to a temple in nearby Mukhwa village where she is worshipped during winter months. The idol of Goddess Yamunotri is placed at a shrine in Kharsali village during the period.

Both the shrines remain closed for six months during the winter