As the portals of one of the country's holiest sites, Kedarnath Dham, opened for devotees after a gap of six months, the first puja was performed in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami along with his wife Geeta Dhami offered prayers at Kedarnath temple on the day of its opening on Akshaya Tritiya.
Akshaya Tritiya is one of the most auspicious days celebrated by Hindus and Jains across the country. The day is symbolic of good luck, success and fortune.
Reddy expressed his emotional connection to the visit, stating, "In Ayodhya, I've been trying to have a glimpse of Lord Shree Ram for many years. My father and mother came during the time of Ayodhya's 'kar seva' (temple construction service), but they couldn't reach here. They are no longer
Amid the preparations for opening the portals, popular tourist sites such as Sonprayag and Gaurikund are drawing huge crowds, with the majority of them heading in the direction of the Kedarnath Dham.
"The preparations for the opening of the doors are going on in full swing and the temple is being decorated with 40 quintals of flowers," said Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) President Ajendra Ajay.
While addressing a public meeting in Hardoi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah attacked Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and said, "It the INDIA bloc comes to power after the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, it will put a 'Babri' lock at the Ram temple in Ayodhya."
Weighing in on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charge at the Congress that it was planning to put a 'Babri lock' on the Ram Temple in Ayodhya if elected, Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Wednesday questioned if it was, at all, feasible.
As the doors of Kedarnath Dham are opening on May 10, Baba Kedarnath's Panchmukhi Doli departed for its second stop Phata from Vishwanath Temple Guptkashi.