The wait for all the devotees eager to visit Kedarnath Dham this year has finally arrived. It has been announced that the doors of the jyotirlinga will open on May 2 from 7:00 pm onwards. Today, a crowd of devotees gathered at the winter seat of Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath which was taken out for the procession of Mahashivratri. It was drizzling in the morning still some devotees make sure that they visit the temple on Mahashivratri.

The date and timing of the holy pilgrimage’s visit was decided by the Acharya as per the Hindu calendar. During this, the Rawal Bhimashankar Ling of Kedarnath Dham was also present at the Panckedar Gaddi sthal Omkareshwar temple. The palanquin from the winter seat of Lord Shiva will be carried on April 29, 2025. Baba Kedar’s palanquin will reach the Kedar Dham by 1st May, and from the next day onwards devotees will be able to visit and offer their prayers.

The eleventh Jyotirlinga, i.e. the Kedarnath Dham was closed for visit on November 3, 2024 with all the rituals and traditions of the Hindu Vedic culture. Every year during this time period, when winter is set to arrive, Kedarnath Dham is closed. Then, the palanquin of Baba Kedar is placed at the winter seat in Omkareshwar temple, Ukhimath.

The dates for the other three temples of the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand were declared earlier. The Yamnotri and Gangotri temples will be open for the devotees from the occasion of Akshay Tritiya on April 30, 2025. The Badrinath temple will be opened from May 4 onwards. And now, dates for a visit to Kedarnath are also announced.

The first destination is the Yamnotri temple where devotees begin their journey from Uttarkashi through a 6km trek from Janki Chatti. After this is the Gangotri temple located at 3,048 m above sea levels. The Kedarnath temple is the third destination set at 3,584m which is believed to have been built originally by the Pandavas later restored by Adi Shankracharya. The pilgrimage ends with a visit to the Badrinath temple that dates back to Vedic period, the inner sanctum of which still remains preserved.

The registration for the Char Dham Yatra will begin from March 2 onwards both online and offline. The pilgrims can visit the Uttar Pradesh State Tourism app for an easy booking. For common darshan, there is a token system but rituals like Rudrabhishek require advance online bookings prior to the visit.