Kedarnath Dham will close on Oct 23 at 8:30 AM for winter. Baba Kedar’s idol to be moved to Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath for six months of worship.

Kedarnath Dham Gate Closing: On October 23, Kedarnath Temple, one of the revered Char Dham pilgrimage destinations in northern India, will close for the winter. The temple, which is 3,584 meters above sea level and located on the banks of the Mandakini River, has a yearly custom of closing its doors when the area gets snowbound during winter.

In observance of Bhai Dooj, Kedarnath Dham will lock its doors at 8:30 AM on October 23. After a special prayer service on Wednesday morning, Baba Kedar’s Panchmukhi (five-faced) palanquin will be ceremoniously installed within the temple.

Following the closing of the temple gates, priests will transport the idol of Lord Kedarnath via palanquin to the Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath, passing through Rampur, Fata, and Guptkashi. It is anticipated to arrive at its winter residence on October 25.

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For the next six months, Lord Kedarnath will be worshipped at the Omkareshwar Temple during the winter months while the Himalayan temple is still covered in snow.

The temple is decked out in 1,200 kg of flowers to commemorate the event.

After the adjacent Bhairavnath Temple, which is located on the Kedarnath hill, was closed on Saturday, preparations for the temple’s shutdown got underway. The prayers, anointing, and aarti (light offering) to Baba Kedarnath will take place at 4:30 AM on October 23. The offering of bhog (holy meal) will follow. A symbolic six-month period of meditation (samadhi) will subsequently be imposed on the deity.

After being positioned at the temple’s assembly hall, Baba Kedar’s Panchmukhi palanquin will be removed in a ceremonial procession at 8:30 AM. Then, according to custom, the main temple doors will be closed. The utsav murti, the festival idol on wheels, will arrive in Rampur that evening for its first overnight stop.

From Rampur, the palanquin will go through Phata and Narayan Koti on October 24 before arriving at the Vishwanath Temple in Guptkashi for the night. It will then proceed on October 25 to Ukhimath’s Shri Omkareshwar Temple, where it will spend the winter.

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According to Y.S. Pushpavan, the temple committee’s senior administrative officer, Baba Kedar will continue to be worshipped every day at Omkareshwar Temple during the winter.

Thousands of pilgrims travel to Kedarnath Dham every year from all over India and the world to pay respects and ask for blessings.