Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], May 18 (ANI): A large number of people gathered on Sunday to take a holy dip at the Pushkar Kumbh, held at Keshav Prayag near Mana–the border village of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand–after a 12-year interval. 
According to a release from the Uttarakhand Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), thousands of devotees have so far taken a holy bath on the banks of the Alaknanda and Saraswati rivers.
This year, the Kumbh is being held from May 14 to May 26. From dawn to dusk, the ghats of Keshav Prayag resonate with bhajans and kirtans. 
This fair, organised every 12 years at Keshav Prayag, the confluence of the Alaknanda and Saraswati rivers, is associated with great saints like Maharishi Vedvyas, Ramanujacharya, and Madhvacharya, to whom most people from South India go for bathing.
Notably, most people from South India come to bathe during this occasion, the CMO said in a statement.
Uttarakhand’s official said that the police and administration have ensured effective arrangements for devotees’ safety, route management, and emergency services.
Earlier in the day, the doors of the sacred Rudranath temple, known as the fourth Kedar, reopened for devotees on Sunday morning after being closed during the winter months.
Located at over 10,000 feet in Chamoli district, the Shiva shrine of the Panchkedar group of temples draws lakhs of pilgrims from across the country and abroad every year.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced the reopening, saying, “Today, the name of Rudra echoed once again in the peaceful valleys of the Himalayas!”He praised the religious significance of the event and emphasised the state’s continued efforts to enhance the pilgrim experience.
The Rudranath temple, nestled deep in the Garhwal Himalayas, holds great importance among the Panch Kedar temples.
The shrine had remained closed during the harsh winter months due to heavy snowfall and extreme weather.
Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government said on Saturday that the helicopter services for the Char Dham Yatra have resumed and are running smoothly.
The Char Dham Yatra 2025 officially began on April 30 with the opening of the Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham on Akshaya Tritiya amid Vedic chants and rituals. The doors of Kedarnath Dham were opened on May 2, and those of Badrinath on May 4. (ANI)
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