Thousands of Sikh pilgrims faced the intense cold waves and inclement weather conditions to unite at Hemkund Sahib in Garhwal Himalayas today as the sacred shrines are declared to shut down for the six-month winter break during which the area remains covered by thick sheet of snow throughout the winters.
The Himalayan shrine was declared to be closed by the chief Granthi Jassa Singh after the ceremony during which the last prayers of the season were offered at about 11.30 AM, Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee sources said.
As soon as the temple was closed, Sikh pilgrims who had joined at the shrine to witness the closing ceremony beagan heading towards Govindghat from where the 22-km trek to the temple begins, they said.
Light snowfall is witnessed in the areas around Hemkund Sahib for the past few days.
Despite the damaged trek route to the shrine by the last year’s calamity, Hemkund Sahib received unexpectedly high number of pilgrims this season than the ‘Char Dham’ yatra to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, they added.
News Src : Business Standard, Gopeshwar
img src : Blogspot
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