The sacred portals of Bhairavnath temple near Kedarnath in Garhwal Himalayas were closed on Saturday for winter amid chanting of vedic hymns and a mild snowfall.
An elaborate two hour prayers were held by the priest of Kedarnath temple Bagesh Ling in the presence of devotees and officials of the temple committee, including its CEO B B Singh, before the doors were closed for the peak winter months as the high altitude shrine becomes inaccessible due to snowbound conditions.
The closure of Bhairvanath temple will be followed by that of Kedarnath on November 5.
Areas close to Kedarnath temple were the worst hit by the June calamity in Uttarakhand leading to the suspension of the char dham yatra for over three month.
