Rudraprayag. Lord Kedarnath’s Panchmukhi Chal Vigraha Doli reached Kedarnath Dham on Thursday amid light rain with the chanting of devotees and shower of flowers. As soon as the Doli arrived, the atmosphere of the Dham became devotional. The Doli was welcomed with slogans of “Bam-Bam Bhole” and “Jai Baba Kedar”. The Doli reached the temple premises at 3:30 pm, where devotees were seen dancing to the melodious tunes of the band of the 6 Grenadier Unit of the Army.
Earlier on Thursday morning, the Doli left for Kedarnath after worship at the Gauramai temple in Gaurikund. Local people and pilgrims took blessings of Baba by visiting on the way. The weather turned bad in the afternoon and light rain started, despite this the enthusiasm of the devotees did not decrease. The Doli reached the base camp at 3 pm and the temple premises at 3:30 pm.
Kedarnath’s chief priest Bagesh Ling also reached the Dham with the Doli, while Rawal Bhimashankar Ling is already present in the Dham. After the Doli reached the temple, the Badri-Kedar Temple Committee (BKTC) duly installed it in the storehouse. The doors of Lord Kedarnath will be opened for the devotees at 7 am on Friday. On this occasion, thousands of devotees including District Magistrate Saurabh Gaharwar, Superintendent of Police Akshay Prahlad Konde, BKTC CEO Vijay Prasad Thapliyal, and administrative officer Yudhveer Pushpavan will be present in the Dham. More than 10 thousand pilgrims reached Kedarnath on Thursday, while this number may increase manifold on the day of opening of the doors. District Tourism Officer Rahul Chaubey said that arrangements have been made for the stay of more than 30 thousand passengers in the Dham and surrounding areas. This includes GMVN cottages, tent colonies, hotels-lodges and temporary residences of local people. The administration has given instructions to ensure all facilities for the passengers.
