Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi offers prayers at Kedarnath Dham - World News Network

Kedarnath (Uttarakhand) [India], June 8 (ANI): Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Sunday visited Kedarnath Dham and offered prayers at the sacred temple, seeking the blessings of Mahadev, revered as the God of Gods.
His visit adds to a series of recent high-profile pilgrimages to the holy shrine. On Friday, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi also visited Kedarnath Temple with his family. Sharing his experience on the social media platform X, he wrote, “Today, I left from Sahastradhara helipad, Dehradun with my family to visit Kedarnath Dham, one of the four Dhams, to have darshan of Mahadev, the God of Gods.”
Earlier, on June 2, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, accompanied by her family, offered prayers at Kedarnath Dham as well. Speaking to ANI, CM Gupta expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to visit the holy site and prayed for strength to continue working for the progress of the national capital.
“After offering prayers at Kedarnath Dham, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta says, “I feel fortunate to get the opportunity to offer prayers at Kedarnath Dham along with my family. I wish Baba gives us enough strength to achieve the target of Viksit Bharat and Viksit Delhi. I hope Baba Kedar gives me the strength to work for the development of Delhi,” the Delhi Chief Minister said.
For the year 2025, the doors of Kedarnath Dham were opened to devotees on May 2. As of June 1, over 7 lakh pilgrims have visited the temple, with an average of 24,000 devotees reaching Kedarpuri daily for Baba’s darshan.
Kedarnath Dham Yatra is considered one of the most challenging religious pilgrimages in India. Pilgrims undertake a strenuous 20-kilometre trek through mountainous terrain to reach the temple, which is home to the 11th Jyotirlinga, situated in the lap of the Himalayas.
Horses and mules play a crucial role in this pilgrimage, especially for elderly and differently-abled devotees. These animals are also essential for transporting food and supplies along the Yatra route and to Kedarpuri.
So far, more than seven lakh devotees have reached Shri Kedarnath Dham. Every pilgrim has to pay 50 rupees for going and 50 rupees for returning to Sonprayag. Till June 1, seven lakh devotees have reached Dham, which means taxi operators have earned about seven crore rupees through the shuttle service. This year, taking a new initiative, 25 vehicles have been reserved for women and the elderly. An average of 10 passengers can travel in each vehicle. Stickers have also been put on these vehicles. In the first phase, only 25 vehicles have been taken for this. If the experiment is successful and the need for more vehicles is felt, then the number of vehicles can be increased. (ANI)

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