Lakhs expected to converge as Char Dham Yatra begins today

The annual Char Dham pilgrimage in Uttarakhand will begin today on the auspicious 'Akshaya Tritiya' festival with the reopening of the Gangotri and the Yamunotri shrines in the Garhwal Himalayas.

All the preparations related with the pilgrimage have been done at the Gangotri, Yamunotri Temples in the Uttarkashi district and at the Kedarnath Temple in Rudraprayag district of the state, the officials said.

The gates of the temples will be reopened today for the pilgrims after remaining closed for six months during the winters, whereas, gates of the Badrinath Temple in the Chamoli district will reopen on May 11.

The shrines are closed for devotees during the winter season every year as the region, at a higher altitude, witnesses extreme cold conditions; they are reopened during the summers.

The pilgrimage that spans for a period of six months attracts lakhs devotees from the country and abroad and is considered as the economic backbone of the Garhwal Himalaya region.

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