Mussoorie, Oct. 18 -- The portals of Lord Rudranath Temple, one of the revered Panch Kedar shrines, were closed for the winter season on Friday morning in a traditional ceremony attended by hundreds of devotees. The temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, will remain closed for the next six months, and the deity's palanquin (doli) will be housed at the Gopinath Temple in Gopeshwar, officials said. According to Harish Gaur, media in-charge of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), around 500 devotees attended the closing rituals, which began early in the morning with special prayers and offerings. "The closing ceremony for the winter season took place on Friday morning, following which the portals were shut amid chanting of Vedic hymns and traditional rituals," Gaur said. Temple priest Sunil Tiwari said that the morning rituals began at 4:00 am, and after the completion of the special prayers, the temple doors were officially closed at 6:00 am. Following the closure, the deity's palanquin began its ceremonial journey from Rudranath at 7:30 am, accompanied by devotees and priests....