As the Kedarnath Dham doors opened for pilgrims, the entrance gate of the temple has been seen adorned with the Assamese Jaapi on Tuesday.
As many as 20,000 quintals of flowers were also used to decorate the temple in a unique display of art and culture at the Kedarnath Temple.
The Assamese Jaapi is a conical hat made out of bamboo and covered in vibrant silk and cotton material. Like gamusa, it also represents honour and dignity to the people of Assam.
Sharing a video of the temple, Assam Minister Ashok Singhal said, "The beautiful Jaapi of Assam adorns the abode of Baba Kedarnath like the Moon atop Mahadev's tresses. The Kedarnath Mandir of Uttarakhand looks even more divine, having been decorated with our Assamese Jaapis. The heritage & cultural icons of Assam are today reaching Far & wide, thanks to the kind patronage of our Hon’ PM Shri @narendramodi Ji & the untiring efforts of our Hon’ CM Dr. @himantabiswa."
It may be mentioned that the doors of the revered Kedarnath Dham opened to pilgrims on Tuesday morning amid the chanting of shlokas (hymns) and loud drumbeats. The abode of Lord Shiva, Kedarnath Dham is one of the country’s holiest pilgrimage sites.
However, the state government in Uttarakhand had halted the process of accepting registration applications from pilgrims for the Kedarnath Dham Yatra. The decision was taken in light of heavy snowfall on the pilgrimage route and after the Meteorological department issued warnings of inclement weather conditions in the coming days.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an alert for heavy snowfall on the route leading to Kedarnath Dham for pilgrims which had led to the state government’s decision to stop accepting applications.
According to an official statement, the weather is expected to remain inclement in Kedarghati over this week. The statement read, “The weather is expected to remain bad in Kedarghati for the next one week. On the alert of the Meteorological Department, the state government has stopped the registration of the visit to Kedarnath Dham. The heavy snowfall in Kedarnath has created difficulties for the administration.”
“Registration of pilgrims for the Kedarnath pilgrimage has been stopped in view of the snowfall of three to four feet on the Kedarnath pedestrian route and Dham and the warning by the Mete Department,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the first batch of pilgrims has left Haridwar for the Char Dham Yatra on Saturday. On the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya, the holy Yatra began from the Yamunotri Dham.
