Yamunotri, Gangotri portals thrown open to devotees

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 18

The portals of the Yamunotri and Gangotri shrines in Uttarakhand were thrown open for the pilgrims on Wednesday signalling the beginning of the first leg of the Char Dham yatra. The portals of Yamunotri were opened at 12.15 pm and that of the Gangotri temple at 1.15 pm, an opportune time decided by the pandits in advance, according to the Hindu panchang.

The traditional ritual began after the idols of Goddesses Yamunotri and Gangotri were brought in palanquins by the villagers where they are worshipped during their winter sojourn. On the arrival of the deities, the pandits recited vedic hymns and performed elaborate rituals inside the temple.

A large number of pilgrims were present to welcome the deities representing Ma Ganga. The Local MLA from Yamunotri Kedar Singh Rawat welcomed the pilgrims and made a donation of Rs 5 lakh for the office of temple committee. “In 2016 and 2017 we had good turnout of pilgrims and were are hopeful that the turnout would be good for this yatra too,” said Jagmohan Uniyal, vice president of temple committee (Yamunotri).

Local MLA from Gangotri Gopal Singh Rawat along with several pilgrims was present to welcome the palanquin carrying the idol of Gangotri as it arrived at Gangotri dham from Bhairav Ghati.

The idol of Goddess Gangotri is shifted to a temple in nearby Mukhwa village where she is worshipped during winter. While the idol of Goddess Yamunotri is housed at a shrine in Kharsali village during the period when original abodes located high up in the Himalayas become inaccessible due to snow.

The remaining two out of the four sacred shrines Kedarnath and Badrinath will re-open on April 29 and April 30, respectively.