Dehradun: It is a race against time for the chief priests of revered Hindu shrines, Kedarnath and Badrinath, as they travel thousands of miles to reach Uttarakhand ahead of the opening of the portals of shrines later this month.
According to rituals, only chief priests or ‘raval’, as they are known, can open the portals of the shrines after six months of winter break.
However, due to the nationwide lockdown following the COVID-19 outbreak, the priests were stranded in Maharashtra and Kerala and got permission to travel only recently.
Officials said Bhimashankar Ling, the chief priest of Kedarnath, has left from Nanded in Maharastra. He will travel by road for about 1,800km to reach Ukhimath (the winter seat of Kedarnath) in Uttarakhand.
Meanwhile, Ishwari Prasad Namboodri, the chief priest of Badrinath, has left from Kannur in Kerala to reach Joshimath in Uttarakhand, which is roughly 2,900km from his hometown.
Few days ago, Ling had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking help to travel during the lockdown.
Both the priests are expected to reach Uttarakhand in the next two days. The portals of Kedarnath shrine will open on April 29, the Badrinath portals will open a day later.
However, as per guidelines to control the spread of coronavirus, both the priests are required to complete 14 days of quarantine after entering the hill state. It is yet to be known if any exemption will be made for the duo, coming from two worst-hit states.
Uttarakhand’s Religious Affairs Minister Satpal Maharaj said the priests will undergo tests, following a decision will be taken on the matter, while adding the government will “follow the tradition” of opening the portals on the scheduled dates.
It is believed Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines were established by the Adi Shankaracharya around 8th Century.
Following norms, the chief priest of Kedarnath has been picked from the Lingayat sect of Karnataka, while the chief priest of Badrinath hails from among the Namboodri Brahmin clan inKerala.
Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamnotri are four shrines which remain open for six months a year.
Last year, about 33 lakh people visited the four shrines. However, the scenario is likely to be different this time given the virus outbreak.
Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh said no visitor will not be permitted into the state till May 3, the day when the extended nationwide lockdown is scheduled to end, and a decision will be taken accordingly after assessing the situation.
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