New Delhi, May 9 (IANS): The portals of the holy Kedarnath Dham are set to open on Friday. While the preparations for the ceremonial opening of the temple are in full swing, the devotees have started assembling in large numbers in adjacent Sonprayag and Gaurikund, for the first darshan of the deity.

The portals will be thrown open for devotees at 7 AM morning on Friday (May 10).

One major highlight of this year’s opening ceremony is that the temple is being decorated with 20 quintals of flowers. The pictures of the decorated temple, as it surfaced on social media gave a mesmerising look.

Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) President Ajendra Ajay told newsmen that the flowers reached the holy temple via helicopters and the devotees are ecstatic and elated over such arrangements.

Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took to his X handle and welcomed the devotees to Kedarnath Dham.

"Hearty welcome and greetings to all the devotees in Shri Kedarnath Dham in Chardham Yatra-2024... Hail Lord Kedar!" the CM wrote.

Meanwhile, Lord Kedarnath’s Panchmukhi Doli left for Kedarnath Dham today while devotees and school children chanted mantras and showered flower petals. The district administration along with local shopkeepers welcomed the ‘Dev Doli’ on the Kedarnath pedestrian route.

The doors for Kedarnath Dham along with two other holy shrines Gangotri and Yamunotri will open on May 10 while the gates of Badrinath will open on May 12.

The Char Dham Yatra holds profound spiritual significance in Hinduism. The devotees get to chance to undertake the yatra from April-May to October-November. The Himalayan temple, visited by lakhs of people every year remains closed during the winters.