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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Baba Kedar at Shri Kedarnath Dham on Friday, ahead of its winter closure.
During his visit, Dhami said that under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi the state government is committed to the all-round development of Kedarnath Dham. He wished happiness, prosperity and well-being for all the people of the state. On this occasion, the Chief Minister also met the saints, devotees and residents present in the temple premises. The doors of Shri Kedarnath Dham, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, are set to close for the winter on Saturday. "Development work is being done at a rapid pace in the Dham, which is giving a new direction to the economy of the region and the local people are getting employment opportunities. Due to the better management of the state government, the number of pilgrims is increasing every year. Also, after this year's disaster, the rescue of all the passengers was completed in time," CM Dhami said. CM Dhami also said during a program organized in Kedarnath that until Kedarnath gets an MLA, he himself will serve Kedarnath as an MLA. It is known that PM Modi and Chief Minister Dhami have a special attachment to Kedarnath. Prime Minister Modi has come to Kedarnath several times to visit Baba Kedar and personally monitors the reconstruction work going on in the Dham. CM Dhami praised the arrangements made for the Char Dham Yatra by the state's administration, claiming that this year's Kedarnath Dham has set a new record of receiving devotees this year. "Even after the disaster this year, the number of devotees coming to Kedarnath Dham has set a new record as a result of the better arrangements made by the administration. The smooth, safe and well-organized Char Dham Yatra is the top priority of our government," he said. Kedarnath is part of one of the four high-altitude Dhams in Uttarakhand, consisting of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. The shrines remain shut for around six months every year, opening in the summers during April or May generally, and closing usually around October or November. The holy pilgrimage starts from Yamunotri, proceeds towards Gangotri, onto Kedarnath, and finally ends at Badrinath. The doors of Kedarnath Dham will be closing for the winter season on Sunday, November 3 at 8:30 AM. The Kedarnath site opened its doors on April 25. This year the whole Char Dham Yatra started with a delay of 17 days from May 10, whereas last year the opening of the doors of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham on 23 April started the journey. Last year 56.13 lakh pilgrims visited during the entire Yatra period. Similarly, 46.29 lakh pilgrims arrived for Char Dham Darshan in the year 2022 and 34.77 lakh pilgrims arrived in the year 2019. The yatra was affected due to corona infection in the years 2020 and 2021. The number of pilgrims in these two years was 3.30 lakh and 5.29 lakh respectively. (ANI)
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