Rudraprayag/Dehradun, Sept. 30 -- The portals of Kedarnath Dham will close for the winter season on 23 October, on the auspicious occasion of Bhaiya Dooj, two days after Diwali. It may be reminded here that, this year, the portals are shutting earlier than last year, when the Yatra had stretched on for a longer duration. With just about 25 days left before the sacred shrine is closed, the present turnout of pilgrims failed to match that of last year and this has raised concern among local businesses and service providers.
So far, more than 15.85 lakh devotees have visited Kedarnath, averaging nearly four thousand daily. The figure is considerably lower than last year's tally of almost 19 lakh pilgrims. Even if an additional one lakh devote...