Kedarnath, Yamunotri shrines closed for winter
_vb_87.jpeg)
Rudraprayag/Uttarkashi (PTI): The doors of the Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath and Yamunotri in Uttarakhand were closed for the winter season on Thursday.
The doors of Kedarnath, the abode of Lord Shiva and the eleventh Jyotirlinga, located in Rudraprayag district, were closed at 8:30 am.
Despite the cold, nearly 10,000 devotees were present at the closing ceremony, chanting "Har Har Mahadev," "Jai Baba Kedar," and "Bam Bam Bhole."
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was also present besides administrative officials, temple committee officials, and a large number of priests.
Now, during the next six months, Lord Kedarnath will be worshipped at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath, his winter residence.
The temple was decorated with flowers for the ceremony. As the festive palanquin of Lord Kedarnath was brought out amidst the devotional tunes of the army band and the cheers of devotees, the entire atmosphere was filled with devotion.
The palanquin will stay overnight in Rampur on Thursday while on Friday it will reach Guptkashi from where it will be sent to its winter seat Omkareshwar Temple on October 25.
The Kedarnath temple will reopen its doors to devotees in April-May next year. The date and time will be decided during the Mahashivratri festival.
On this occasion, Dhami said the government is also encouraging the winter Char Dham Yatra and urged devotees to seek blessings by offering prayers at the winter pilgrimage sites of the four Dhams.
The chief minister said this year a total of 17,68,795 pilgrims visited Baba Kedar, which is about 1.25 lakh more than the number of devotees who came last year.
This year, despite the pilgrimage being repeatedly disrupted due to disasters during the monsoon, around 50 lakh devotees have come to visit Chardham and Hemkund Sahib.
The doors of Yamunotri, another shrine among the four shrines of the Garhwal Himalayas, were also closed for devotees on Thursday at 12:30 pm amid chanting of Vedic mantras.
Yamunotri Temple Committee spokesperson Purushottam Uniyal said that now during the winter, Mother Yamuna will be visible for six months at her winter residence in Khushimath (Kharsali) village.
This year's Char Dham Yatra has now reached its final stage, with the doors of Gangotri, Yamunotri, and Kedarnath shrines closed for the winter.
The Badrinath temple will close on November 25, marking the end of this year's Char Dham Yatra.
Due to snowfall and severe cold, the doors of Char Dham are closed for devotees every year in October-November and opened again in April-May next year.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Man shoots woman dead, hangs self in UP’s Baghpat over unrequited love
Baghpat (UP) (PTI): A 20-year-old woman was shot dead by a man who later committed suicide in an apparent case of unrequited love in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat on Thursday, police said.
The incident took place in Mahavatpur Bawli village in the Badaut area, where the accused, Satnam, 22, allegedly shot the woman before hanging himself from a tree, they said.
Superintendent of Police, Suraj Kumar Rai, said preliminary findings suggest the incident was linked to unrequited love, adding that all aspects of the case are being probed.
According to police, the deceased woman, Guddan, daughter of Lakhmi Saini, worked as a tailor from her home.
ALSO READ: Christmas returns to Bethlehem after two-year pause, with ‘half joy, half sadness’
Satnam, a resident of the same village, had allegedly been in one-sided love with her for a long time and was pressuring her to marry him.
Police said that around 10.30 am, Guddan stepped out of her house to buy some items when Satnam, who was already waiting in a back lane, stopped her.
An argument ensued, following which he allegedly shot her in the head with a country-made pistol.
The woman collapsed on the spot with serious injuries.
The accused then went back to his house and committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree, police said.
Upon receiving information, police rushed to the spot and took the injured woman to a community health centre, where doctors declared her dead.
A forensic team recovered the weapon used in the crime from the scene, they added.
Police have sent both bodies for post-mortem and initiated an investigation, they said.
