DEHRADUN: The much-anticipated Char Dham Yatra, a pivotal pilgrimage for millions of devotees worldwide, officially commenced on Wednesday with the ceremonial opening of the sacred portals of the Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines.
The auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya marked the beginning of this spiritual journey in the Uttarakhand Himalayas, drawing large crowds eager to embark on the path to divine connection. Thousands of devotees gathered to witness the ceremony, highlighted by a spectacular helicopter shower of flowers on the assembled crowd.
Priests offered the first prayers at the two holy sites on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who was present at the portal opening ceremony, congratulated the people of the country on the commencement of the Char Dham Yatra.
"All preparations have been made for a smooth journey," he stated, adding, "Continuous verification drives are also being conducted to keep an eye on suspicious people."
Purshottam Uniyal, President of the Yamunotri Dham Samiti, told TNIE, "The portals of the shrine were opened at 11:55 AM with full rituals. The Chief Minister also came here, took blessings, and inspected the work at the Dham."
Explaining the spiritual significance of the pilgrimage, President Uniyal further elaborated, "Regarding the importance of the Char Dham Yatra that began on Wednesday, Maa Yamuna is for devotion (bhakti), Maa Ganga for knowledge (gyan), Baba Kedar (Kedarnath) for detachment (vairagya), and Badrinath Dham for liberation (moksha). Devotees have gathered in large numbers for darshan to attain these four objectives of human life."
Meanwhile, Rawal Harish Semwal, President of the Gangotri Dham Mandir, told this daily, "Devotees from across the country and abroad will now continuously have darshan of Maa Ganga at Gangotri Dham for six months. The portals of Gangotri Dham were opened for devotees at the auspicious Abhijit Muhurta at 10:30 AM on Wednesday morning." He added, "On the occasion of the gate opening, the entire Gangotri Dham echoed with cheers of 'Jai Maa Gange!'"