The portals of the Lord Ayappa temple in Sabrimala opened for devotees for the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku festivals, marking the beginning of the two-month long annual pilgrimage season.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday expressed grief over the death of seven people when a Rath or ceremonial chariot of Lord Jagannath came in contact with a high tension wire in Tripura's Unakoti district during the 'Ulta Rath Yatra' or return car festival.
Read more about Landslide blocks Gangotri highway, restoration efforts by BRO underway on Business Standard. The Gangotri National Highway has been blocked near the Sunagar area of Uttarakhand s Uttarkashi district after a massive landslide due to incessant rainfall
The portals of Kedarnath opened on Monday after a six-month winter break with the first puja being held by priests on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials said. Only a select few people attended the temple s opening ceremony in view of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. It is for the second consecutive year that COVID has cast a shadow on the pilgrimage to the temple which has been kept out of bounds for pilgrims in view of rising coronavirus cases. A Chardham Devasthanam Board official said the first puja was held by priests on behalf of the prime minister as the gates of the famous Himalayan temple were opened at 5 am.
The Chardham Yatra to the four famous Himalayan shrines in Uttarakhand, which was scheduled to begin next month, has been postponed in view of the massive surge in COVID-19 cases. Announcing this here on Thursday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat said conducting the yatra amid the raging pandemic is not possible. However, the portals of the four Himalayan temples known as Chardham will open as scheduled, he said. However, they will open only for priests to perform regular prayers and not for devotees, he said. Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are the four famous shrines. COVID-19 cases have been rising exponentially in Uttarakhand as in various other states.