Portals of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath Dham open as Char Dham Yatra commences

Char Dham Yatra begins with opening of portals at Yamunotri, Gangotri, and Kedarnath amid Vedic chants on Akshay Tritiya

Published on: Apr 19, 2026, 15:10:37 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi, Mussoorie

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The Char Dham Yatra commenced on Friday with the opening of the portals of Yamunotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath Dham amid Vedic chants on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya in the Garhwal Himalayas. The shrines, decked up with flowers, saw a sea of pilgrims on the first day.

Char Dham Yatra kicks off as portals of key shrines open (PTI)

The portal of Gangotri Dham was first to open at 12:15 pm, while the portal of Yamunotri Dham opened at 12:35 pm amid chants of Jai Maa Ganga and Jai Maa Yamuna in the presence of a large number of devotees.

“All rituals were conducted strictly in accordance with traditional Vedic rites to ensure the sanctity of the opening of the portal at 12:15 pm,” secretary of the temple committee Suresh Semwal said.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was present at the opening ceremony alongside thousands of pilgrims who had gathered in the temple courtyard at Gangotri Dham.

“The safety and well-organised conduct of the Char Dham Yatra is a collective priority, as it is our shared goal to maintain a secure and safe yatra for pilgrims, for which all stakeholders and those associated with the Char Dham Yatra have worked with full dedication and meticulous planning,” CM Dhami said.

Extending a warm welcome to pilgrims from across India and abroad, he offered his prayers for a successful journey for all, seeking divine blessings for the prosperity and well-being of the visitors.

With the opening of the first two shrines, the administration has deployed robust measures for health services, crowd management and infrastructure.

CM Dhami reiterated the government’s commitment to making the yatra a “divine and safe” experience and urged pilgrims to follow all safety guidelines as they embark on their spiritual quest.

“With the opening of the portal, the Char Dham Yatra has officially started, and devotees can now offer prayers in the Yamunotri temple for the next six months,” spokesperson for the Yamuna temple committee Purshotam Uniyal said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

Akshay Tritiya

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