The moment that the Shiva devotees had been waiting for 6 months came, the moment came and the doors of Aradhya Shri Baba Kedarnath were opened with the entire law. Now Shiva devotees will be able to see Baba Kedarnath for 6 months. Today, May 2, 2025, on the holy morning of Friday, the doors of Kedarnath Dham in Taurus Lagna were methodically opened to visit the devotees.
This ancient Shiva temple situated in the lap of the snow -covered Himalayas on the height of Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand once again witnessed devotion and faith of the devotees. As soon as the doors of the temple opened between Jayaghosh and chanting of Baba Kedarnath, all Kedarghati echoed with the slogans of “Har-Har Mahadev”.
Even before the opening of the temple doors, thousands of devotees had gathered in the temple courtyard. In order to become a witness to this supernatural moment, devotees from all over the country and abroad gathered.
Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami was also present in Kedarnath Dham himself on this auspicious occasion and received his blessings by getting his first darshan of Baba Kedar. The special thing is that this year the first puja in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was completed, which became a special emotional moment for the devotees.
Kedarnath Temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas dedicated to Lord Shiva and is the head of Chardham Yatra. Every year due to excessive snowfall in winter, the doors of the temple are closed and they are opened in auspicious time after Akshaya Tritiya.
The entire process of opening the kapat is accomplished by extremely traditional and religious methods. Baba Kedar's moving Vigraha Doli, his winter migration site – from Omkareshwar Temple at Ukhimath, is brought to Kedarnath as a grand procession.
This year the temple complex was specially decorated. About 108 quintal flowers were equipped with the temple and the surrounding area, causing a unique shade of devotion, beauty and divinity throughout the atmosphere. Located at an altitude of 11,000 feet above sea level, this dham is not only religiously important, but its position in the lap of nature makes it even more unique.
Token system applied for philosophy
After opening the kapat, devotees saw the burning unbroken light in the temple. After this, the worship of Baba started with holy mantras like Rudrabhishek, Shivashtak, Shiva Tandava Stotra and Kedarashtak.
First of all, Rawal Bhimshankar of Veerashaiva Lingayat community of Karnataka arrived for Linga Puja and Bhishma Shringar was removed methodically six months ago.
Currently, around 2500 devotees are present in Dham and a token system has been implemented for darshan so that the crowd can visit in a controlled manner. For the next six months, devotees will now be able to see Baba Kedar. It is estimated that if the weather remains favorable between June and August, this time more than 25 lakh devotees are expected to come to Kedarnath Dham.
The Chardham Yatra has started from April 30, Akshaya Tritiya. The doors of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham have already opened and the doors of Badrinath Dham will be opened on 4 May. Thus, this journey, filled with the divinity, tradition and spiritual energy of Uttarakhand, is once again ready to make millions of devotees feel the ultimate peace and virtue.
More than 150 volunteers worked day and night
This year in Kedarnath Dham, the Kapatodi inauguration ceremony has been extended to new heights of grandeur. On this special occasion, more than 150 dedicated volunteers have worked hard day and night to give unique beauty to the temple premises.
This hard -working team involved in the temple decoration is led by Srial Vyas, a resident of Vadodara, Gujarat, who said that a total of 54 types of fragrant flowers have been used for this supernatural makeup.
These flowers have been ordered not only from different parts of India – Delhi, Kashmir, Pune, Kolkata and Patna, but also from foreign sites like Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Especially marigold flowers were brought from a special village in Kolkata, where varieties are famous for their long -term freshness – which remain alive without withering for 10 to 15 days than local flowers.
35 skilled artists from West Bengal have also made special contribution in the decoration and beautification work of Kedarnath temple. These artists have made the aura of the temple even more sacred and grand.
Also, a symbol of the lively presence of Lord Shiva, his divine idol has been installed in Kedarnath Dham by sitting in a decorated palanquin. This palanquin journey is not only a symbol of reverence, but also a wonderful confluence of tradition and devotion.
Kedarnath Dham decorated with 108 quintal flowers
The Kedarnath temple for the holy festival of the Kapatodh has been decorated with 108 quintals of flowers and flowers, which has given the entire Dham a divine flower.
Special deployment of governance, administration and security forces has been done for the successful operation of the event. Keeping in mind the convenience of devotees, more than 15,000 night stay in Kedarnath has been ensured.
Vijay Prasad Thapliyal, Chief Executive Officer of Sribdarinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, said that with the opening of the kapat, the token system will be implemented for darshan, so that the devotees can take advantage of the darshan of God in a peaceful and systematic manner.
The event is not only a symbol of religious spirit, but it also presents a unique example of unity, dedication and service spirit of people from all over the country.
What is Baba's Bhishma Shringar, which takes a full 5 hours to do?
Bhishma Shringar of Baba Kedarnath is a special religious ritual, which is performed before closing the doors. This process is so grand and wide that it takes about 5 hours to complete.
This decoration begins with 6 liters of melted pure ghee on the Shivling, which is done before closing the doors. This ghee freezes in the cold, and it is gradually removed when opening the doors.
Then comes the order of extracting arms, in which the seasonal fruits and dry fruits kept near the Shivling are removed. After this, garlands of 1 to 12 Mukhi Rudraksha climbed on Baba are removed, and then the Shivling is removed from the white cotton cloth wrapped.
After this, Baba has a Ganges bath, in which anointing is done with cow urine, milk, honey and panchamrit. Finally Baba is decorated with fresh flowers, ash and sandalwood tilak.
While it takes hours to adorn it, it takes only half an hour to remove it when the kapat opens. This process is not only a symbol of reverence, but is also a living example of dedication and service to Baba.
The doors of the temple opened at seven in the morning
The doors of the Kedarnath temple were duly opened to the devotees at exactly seven o'clock on Friday morning. The temple's chief priest Bhimashankar Linga said that preparations for opening the doors were started from six in the morning. Special worship was done on this occasion.
Vijay Thapliyal, Chief Officer of Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee informed that this time devotees will get a new initiative in Kedarnath.
On the lines of Ganga Aarti to be held in Kashi, Haridwar and Rishikesh, a grand aarti is being started at the confluence of Mandakini and Saraswati rivers in Kedarnath. All necessary preparations have been completed for this.
For the convenience of the devotees, ramps have been built on three sides at the confluence site, so that they can easily visit. In addition, the idol of Nandi located in the temple courtyard and the statue of Adi Shankaracharya are also specially decorated with flowers, which led to devotional atmosphere.
Devotees do not face any problem in Char Dham Yatra – CM Dhami
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the state government is trying to have any difficulty during the Char Dham Yatra.
He informed that the Char Dham Yatra has started duly on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya on 30 April. Today, the doors of Kedarnath Dham were opened to the devotees, where as soon as the doors were opened, the helicopter was wreath and cultural programs were organized.
The Chief Minister said that after two days, the journey will start in its full form with the opening of the doors of Lord Badrinath. The government has made all necessary arrangements keeping in mind the safety, health and facilities of the passengers, so that they do not face any kind of inconvenience during the journey.
CM Dhami said that Shri Kedarnath Dham has been decorated with full devotion and grandeur. On Friday morning, the kapat was inaugurated in the law and auspicious time, with which the devotees could get the privilege of visiting Kedarnath Jyotirlinga.
The Chief Minister also said that it is a moment of good luck for him that he himself was present in Shri Kedarnath Dham on this auspicious occasion of Kapatod.
Low crowd on first day in Kedarpuri, empty room in Gaurikund
The Chardham Yatra started in a different way this year. While the first day was seen every year, there was a huge crowd, this time the number of devotees has been seen relatively less on the first day to start the journey of Kedarnath Dham.
This time only 1100 of the 1500 rooms have been filled in Gaurikund, which is considered to be the entrance of the Kedarnath Yatra, the remaining rooms are still empty. Hotel and lodge businessmen say that this time the beginning of last year is not being seen.
Yet the enthusiasm of the devotees is not less. So far, a total of 23 lakh pilgrims have registered for Chardham Yatra, of which 7.30 lakh devotees have been registered to visit Kedarnath. Significantly, a total of 19.50 lakh devotees visited Baba Kedar last year.
Kedarnath Yatra easier with helicopter service
This time another major facility has been provided for the devotees – Helicopter Service. Through this service starting from Sonprayag, pilgrims will be able to reach Kedarnath Dham quickly and easily.
According to helicopter operator Pawan Rana, online booking can be done from IRCTC website, while offline tickets will be available from DM office or Sector Magistrate.
He informed that 20-30 flights will be operated every day, through which more than 150 passengers will be transported to Kedarnath per day. However, this service will depend on the weather conditions. If the weather is bad then flights will be canceled and tickets will be canceled – safety of passengers is being given top priority.
Badrinath Dham ready to open the doors
The doors of Badrinath Dham (District Chamoli), one of the Chardham, will be opened on 4 May. Earlier on May 1, Uttarakhand's DGP Deepam Seth and ADG V. Murugesh inspected arrangements like security, traffic management and mob control.
The administration is ensuring that the pilgrimage is done in a smooth, safe and systematic manner. Although this time the beginning of the journey is relatively less crowded, registration figures indicate that the number of devotees will increase rapidly in the coming days.
The administration, security forces and local businessmen are busy ensuring the convenience and safety of all pilgrims. Helicopter service, traffic system and digital booking facilities are making this journey more smooth and safe than before.
The doors of Tungnath temple will be inaugurated today
Today, on Friday, the doors of the third Kedar Lord Tungnath will be duly opened in the auspicious time to visit the devotees at 10:15 am. Tungnath's Chal Vigraha Utsav Doli has departed from Bhootnath Temple and reached Chopta for night rest.
After special worship at Bhootnath temple on Thursday, Doli performed three traditional revolutions of the temple and left for Tungnath Dham among the shouts of devotees. During the night rest in Chopta, the entire area resonated with the announcement of “Jai Baba Tungnath”.
According to temple manager Balveer Singh Negi, Doli will depart from Chopta at 7 am on Friday and will reach Tungnath Temple at 10 am after a walk of about four kilometers. The temple is specially decorated with flowers and garlands, making the kapatodi ceremony even more grand and devotional.
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