Kedarnath Temple Opens for 2026 Char Dham Yatra

The portals of the Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand opened on April 22, 2026, ushering in a new season for the annual Char Dham Yatra and drawing thousands of devotees to the Himalayan shrine amid Vedic chants and cheers of "Har Har Mahadev." The ceremony marked the resumption of access to one of Hinduism's most sacred sites after a six-month winter closure, with the temple adorned in vibrant flowers and priests performing elaborate rituals to welcome the deity.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the event, offering prayers alongside his wife and reviewing pilgrimage arrangements. Speaking to reporters afterward, Dhami highlighted the streamlined processes in place. "The Temple Committee has made excellent arrangements here, ensuring that everyone can now easily have darshan of Baba in a relatively short span of time," he said. He noted that early groups of pilgrims completed their visits within five minutes and emphasized a commitment to a plastic-free route. "There is one particular rule to maintain cleanliness and keep the pilgrimage route plastic-free," Dhami added, echoing broader efforts to preserve the environment.

The opening follows the activation of...