Gangotri dham closes for winters

The sacred portals of Gangotri dham, one of the four major Himalayan shrines located in Uttarakhand, were closed for winters today amid chanting of vedic hymns.
Gates of the temple were closed at 12:55 AM in Makar Lagna in the presence of Uttarkashi DM S Ravishankar, SP Jagat Ram Joshi, Gangotri MLA Vijayapal Singh Sajwan, temple committee officials and scores of devotees, Gangotri Mandir Samiti Secretary Suresh Semwal said.
After the closure of the temple, Ma Ganga left in a palanquin for her winter abode in Mukhwa village where she will be worshipped till the snow melts and the portals of the shrine are reopened in April-May next year.

Located at a height of 3042 metres, the temple doors are closed every year for nearly six months during winter due to snowbound conditions.
A total of 30,000 devotees visited the temple this season which was the first after last year's natural calamity.