Kedarnath shrine reopens for devotees

Sacred portals of the Kedarnath temple were reopened to devotees amid elaborate rituals early Sunday morning, about a year after the Himalayan shrine was marred by flash floods that had left hundreds of people dead and many others stranded. Chief priest of the shrine (Rawal) Bhima Shankar Ling presided over the rituals as its gates were opened amid chanting of vedic hymns, Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee CEO V D Singh said. About 1,252 devotees, including eight foreign nationals, visited the shrine on the opening day, he said. It is the first 'Char Dham' yatra after last year's calamity.