The divine Char Dham Yatra kicked off on Wednesday with the ceremonial opening of doors of Gangotri and Yamunotri temples, initiating the annual religious pilgrimage in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district.
Devotees gathered in large numbers as Goddess Ganga's palanquin, which spent the winter months in Bukha village, began its divine pilgrimage to Gangotri Dham on Tuesday. The overnight procession halted at Bhairav Temple in Bhairavghati before going to the main temple.
The temple gates at Gangotri were to open at 10:30 AM as Vedic hymns and age-old rituals welcomed the goddess to her summer abode, Tirtha Purohit Rajesh Semwal said.
Goddess Yamuna's palanquin was proceeding from her winter abode in Kharsali to Yamunotri Dham very early on Wednesday. The temple gates would open to the faithful at 11:55 AM.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami greeted pilgrims on the occasion of the Akshaya Tritiya festival, which coincided with the day of the yatra's start.
Taking to social media portal X, he wrote, "On the holy day of Akshaya Tritiya today, gates of Shri Yamunotri Dham and Shri Gangotri Dham will officially be opened for the pilgrims to perform darshan. Char Dham Yatra – 2025 is going to start from today, this holy pilgrimage is the symbol of a special union of faith, devotion and valuable emotions of Sanatan culture."
He also added, "On behalf of the state government, all the devotees are welcomed and greeted for the Char Dham Yatra. It is our prayer that through blessings of Maa Yamuna and Maa Ganga, may the life of all the devotees be blessed."
The yatra then proceeds with the opening of Kedarnath Dham on Friday and Badrinath Dham on Sunday. The Panchmukhi deity of Lord Kedarnath was sent out ritually from Omkareshwar Temple at Ukhimath on Tuesday night following a special puja.
Char Dham Yatra, perhaps one of Hinduism's holiest pilgrimages, attracts thousands of devotees yearly. Traditionally, the pilgrims journey clockwise, from Yamunotri, moving onward to Gangotri, then Kedarnath, and lastly to Badrinath. All sites are extremely important spiritually and culturally within Sanatan Dharma.
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