The sacred portals of Hemkund Sahib were thrown open today with thousands of Sikh devotees paying obeisance at the famed Hamalayan shrine on the opening day.
The process to reopen the gates of the shrine after their winter time closure began at 8 AM on a bright sunny morning in the presence of more than three thousand devotees, Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee official said in Govindghat, which is en route to the Gurdwara.
Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs was first ushered into Hemkund Sahib from Satkhand by the Panch Pyaras.
The first prayer was offered at 10 AM and Sukhmani Sahib was recited at 11 AM.
From 1 PM onwards the Mukhwak of the Guru Granth Sahib was recited followed by recounting of the story of Hemkund, they said.
It is said that the tenth Guru of the Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh meditated along the banks of Hemnkund, a Himalayan lake flowing at an altitude of nearly 16000 feet.
One of the most sacred Sikh shrines, Hemkund Sahib is closed in October every year with the onset of winter, when it remains snowbound, and is reopened in May during summer.
