During the autumn season, the Chardham Yatra sites in Uttarakhand face extreme cold weather conditions. As a result, the temple doors of the four sacred shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri are closed. The Chardham Yatra for this year had commenced on April 22nd.
In the Chardham Yatra of 2023, a record number of pilgrims arrived to seek blessings and perform worship at these sacred sites in Uttarakhand. However, the ongoing winter season has begun to take its toll, and the closure dates for the temple doors of Gangotri and Kedarnath shrines have now been decided. According to available information, the closing ceremony for Gangotri temple doors has been set for November 14th, at 11:45 AM during the Abhijit Muhurta.
Yamunotri and Kedarnath temple doors are scheduled to close on November 15th, coinciding with Bhaiya Dooj. While the specific Muhurta for closing the temple doors is yet to be determined, the closing of the Badrinath temple doors is scheduled for October 24th, during the Vijayadashami festival. It’s worth noting that severe cold weather and snowfall are experienced in these pilgrimage sites during the winter season.
During this period, on November 14th, the idol of Mother Ganga’s Mukut (crown) will be removed at 10 AM, and her ceremonial doli (palanquin) will depart for the winter abode of Mukhimath (Mukhwa). The closing of the Yamunotri temple doors is set for Bhaiya Dooj on November 15th. Likewise, Kedarnath temple doors will be closed on Bhaiya Dooj. The Panchmukhi Chal Vigrah Utsav Doli Yatra for Lord Kedarnath will commence to its winter residence in Ukhimath.
The Chardham Yatra for this year had started on April 22nd. According to information provided by the Uttarakhand government, more than 4 million pilgrims had registered for the pilgrimage by June 4th. As per government data, Baba Kedarnath’s shrine witnessed the highest number of pilgrims, with over 713,000 pilgrims having paid their respects by June 4th.
