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UTTARANCHAL, INDIA, April 25, 2004: The portals of the Gangotri and Yamnotri temples, nestling in the Gharwal Himalayas, were reopened at noon on Thursday. The state government had expected a huge rush of pilgrims, but the ceremony was observed by local people only, as a curfew had been imposed in the area following an outbreak of violence, and many pilgrims stranded around Hardwar, the gateway to Uttaranchal, had already returned to their homes. The incident, which left one person dead and 100 injured, was triggered by the molestation of a young woman by three police officers at Hardwar (the officers have been suspended). After special prayers, chief priest Ravindra Semwaal took out the icons of Goddess Ganga and placed it inside the ancient Gangotri temple, accompanied by ceremonial drums and trumpets and the chanting of Vedic hymns. The Goddess had journeyed from her winter resting place in Mookhimuth to Gangotri, escorted by the Jawans of the Garwhal Rifles. The portals remain closed all winter during Her absence. As the portals of the Yamnotri temple were opened similar prayers were held and shlokas recited.



The portals of Kedarnath and Badrinath reopen on April 25 and 26 respectively, and nearly 1.5 million pilgrims are expected. Last year 1.2 million pilgrims attended during the char dham yatra season, over half of whom visited the Badrinath shrine (altitude over 10,000 feet) in Chamoli district. Kedarnath shrine (at almost 12,000 feet) attracted over a third of a million pilgrims in 2003.

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