Mussoorie, May 3 -- The portals of Kedarnath Dham, nestled in Rudraprayag district, were opened for devotees on Friday amid the chanting of mantras and traditional rituals. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, witness to the occasion, offered prayers at the shrine, seeking happiness, prosperity, and peace for the state. The Kedarnath temple was exquisitely decorated for the portal opening ceremony, adorned with over dozens of quintals of flowers. As the gates opened amidst this grand floral display, helicopters showered petals on the devotees. The summer abode of Lord Kedarnath resonated with chants of "Har Har Mahadev", and the devotional tunes played by the band of the Grenadiers Regiment of the Indian Army as the temple portals opened at 7:00 am. The opening of the portals were marked by showering of flower petals on devotees from a Helicopter, said the Rudraprayag police. Devotees gathered at Kedarnath Dham experienced a captivating moment as flower petals rained down from a helicopter during the auspicious portal-opening ceremony. Expressing his happiness, chief minister Dhami extended his best wishes to the entire nation and emphasised that the opening of the Kedarnath Dham is an eagerly awaited moment for the state and the entire country. He highlighted that Kedarnath Dham is not only a major centre of religious faith for Sanatan Dharma followers but also a symbol of India's spiritual and cultural heritage. "This is a time of celebration for our state," he said, praying to the deity for the well-being of all pilgrims undertaking the yatra. The Uttarakhand government has deployed eight companies of paramilitary forces for the Char Dham yatra in the first of its kind initiative. Inspector general of police, law and order, and Uttarakhand police spokesperson Nilesh Anand Bharne said, "The state government had written to the ministry of home affairsfor requisition of eight companies of paramilitary forces for their deployment in Char Dham yatra. All eight companies have been deployed in the shrines and Char Dham yatra routes for the safety of pilgrims. It is the first of its kind initiative."...