PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/New Tehri/ Jyotirmath
As per the warning issued by the State Meteorological department, the weather changed late on Tuesday night across the State, resulting in a dip in mercury and bringing a feel of winter and subsequently, both Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines experienced snowfall. The complexes of both these shrines were found carpeted with snow.
For Kedarnath, this is the first snowfall since the portals were closed for devotees on October 23. The weather felt quite cold in Badrinath too following Tuesday night’s snowfall. As the number of pilgrims visiting this shrine- the portals will be closed on November 25- is still considerable, the Nagar Panchayat has arranged bonfires.
The devotees present at the shrine said that the change had begun with light snowfall on Tuesday evening. “Real snowfall began late that night and continued till Wednesday morning. Though it feels cold we are enjoying the sight of the shrine draped in snow,” said a pilgrim. The Met department says that snowfall and rain are expected to continue in the Himalayan regions, including Uttarakhand, for the next 48 hours due to the influence of a western disturbance. Accordingly, an alert has been issued for those visiting Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib and other high-altitude areas spread across Chamoli district.
