Kedarnath portals open with chants and flower shower, Garhwal Rifles play tunes | Watch grand ceremony

The portals of Kedarnath Dham were opened for the devotees on Friday. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkhar Singh Dhami was present at the temple along with the pilgrims amid chants of "Har Har Mahadev" during the ceremonial opening.

A band of the Indian Army’s Garhwal Rifles also played devotional tunes on the occasion.

The Himalayan temple was adorned with 108 quintals of flowers of 54 varieties, including roses and marigolds brought from different countries like Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

A new feature for the pilgrims in Kedarnath this time would be a grand "aarti" on the lines of Ganga Aarti in Varanasi, Haridwar and Rishikesh to be performed at the confluence of the Mandakini and Saraswati rivers near the temple, BKTC CEO Vijay Thapliyal said.

Kedarnath: The portals of Shri Kedarnath Dham were opened today with rituals and prayers, marking the start of six months of worship. Thousands of devotees attended, and flower petals were showered from a helicopter. Key officials, including Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, pic.twitter.com/khwytRmAYy

IANS (@ians_india) May 2, 2025

Earlier on Wednesday, the portals of Yamunotri temple, the revered source of the Yamuna river and Gangotri temple were opened for the devotees on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya. The gates of Gangotri were opened at 10.30 am and those of Yamunotri at 11.55 am amid traditional rituals.

#WATCH | Uttarakhand: Flower petals being showered on the devotees as portals of Shri Kedarnath Dham opened for the devotees todayCM Pushkar Singh Dhami is also present here on the occasion. pic.twitter.com/9Z4qpnLcqq ANI (@ANI) May 2, 2025

The Badrinath Dham will be opened at 6 am on May 4.