Char Dham yatra kicks off a year after devastating floods(video)

Uttarkashi, May 3 (ANI):

The annual Hindu pilgrimage ‘Char Dham yatra’ (pilgrimage of the four sacrosanct shrines) began for devotees with the reopening of the sacred portals of the Himalayan shrines of Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttarakhand, a year after the devastating floods that left a trail of destruction and an immense loss to life and property. The portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri Temple, located in Uttarakashi district, were opened on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya. The region is a popular Hindu pilgrimage destination due to its four temple towns of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, which make up the site called “Char Dham Yatra”, attracting tens of thousands of devotees from all over India and abroad. The president of temple committee, Suresh Semwal, on Saturday said that the portals would remain open for the devotees for next six months. For thousands of years, pilgrims have flocked to Uttarakhand’s majestic Himalayan Mountains, drawn by the ancient Hindu belief that it was here that deities such as Lord Shiva and Vishnu resided